Flyers acquire Andrei Kuzmenko from Flames

As the Flyers are currently playing the New York Islanders, Danny Briere may have a move up his sleeve.

Andrei Kuzmenko was a late scratch for the Calgary Flames, sending potential signs that he could be on the move. And it turns out Philadelphia is where he will end up. Once all of the pieces are put together, this one is a doozy for both sides. The Flyers now own seven picks in the first two rounds of the upcoming draft.

It's been a struggle for Kuzmenko since breaking out with the Vancouver Canucks in 2022-23. The Russian forward scored 39 goals and posted 74 points. He has been unable to replicate anything close to his rookie season since. Signed to a two-year deal after his strong season, Kuzmenko would only make it 43 games into the season before he would be sent to the Flames.

He had a hot start with Calgary, scoring 14 goals and posting 25 points in the final 29 games of the 2023-24 season. But this season has been anything but good for Kuzmenko.

He has found himself a healthy scratch more often than not. Kuzmenko has four goals in 37 games, recently breaking a 28-goalless drought. He has found the offense recently with five points in his last five games. But the clock was ticking on his time in Calgary, which has been a surprise this season thanks to the play of rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf.

Kuzmenko is in the final year of the deal he signed with the Canucks, making 5.5M.

Jakob Pelletier was pulled from the Flames matchup this evening, leading to the rumors and eventual confirmation of his inclusion. Pelletier is only 23 years old and is known as a highly skilled offensive talent. He also adds speed and has been a good addition to the Flames' penalty kill. He has split his time between the NHL and AHL over the last three seasons. In 60 career games for Calgary, Pelletier has eight goals and 21 points.

The Flames managed to sneak Pelletier through waivers once this season. But with him needing them if he were to be sent down again, Calgary may not have been willing to risk losing him for nothing.

Flyers sending Frost, Farabee to Flames in Kuzmenko trade

This one likely won't be finalized until the Flyers matchup with the Islanders is over and the Flames finish with the Ducks. But sources have confirmed the players involved. Morgan Frost has long found himself in trade rumors over the last few years. It was going to be a matter of time before Philadelphia pulled the trigger on a deal. He did not play the final eight and a half minutes of the second and would not return in the third. It was rumored that he suffered an injury, but he is well enough to be traded.

Frost has been unable to consistently find his offense and has seen himself as a healthy scratch numerous times under John Tortorella. His best season, coincidentally enough, was also 2022-23 where he scored 19 goals and had a career-high 46 points. His numbers have steadily declined since then.

This season, Frost has 11 goals and 25 points in 48 games. The numbers aren't bad. But considering the Flyers have been waiting for Frost to take a step forward for years now, they aren't good enough.

Frost will be a RFA at the end of the season, coming off a two-year deal with a 2.1M cap hit.

With the Flyers not having enough cap space to take on both Kuzmenko and Pelletier, they needed to move out more money. Thus the addition of Joel Farabee in the deal. Farabee has three more seasons after this one left on his deal with a 5M cap hit.

It was just a few weeks ago that Farabee was a healthy scratch, though John Tortorella said they were "not giving up on him" at that time. Like Frost, Farabee has gone through struggles this season. His 19 points are the lowest total of his career. His eight goals are his lowest since he posted the same number in his rookie season.