CALGARY – Morgan Frost’s scouting report on the Calgary Flames is much like his game – straight-forward.
“They suck to play against, to be honest,” laughed the 25-year-old centre, who is the principal figure in the six-piece swap with the Philadelphia Flyers that had him on his way to Calgary Friday evening.
“We played them (Game 2) this year (a 6-3 loss). Not fun.
“They’re proving a lot of people wrong this year. Hopefully, it’s a situation where Joel and I can give them a boost.”
That’s Joel, as in Farabee, who just happens to be a longtime linemate and best friend, making him the perfect teammate to join him out west.
Neither saw Thursday night’s six-player trade coming, nor were they aware at first that they were being traded together.
But now that they’ve said their goodbyes in a city in which both had higher expectations as first-round draft picks, they’re pretty pumped for a new adventure.
While the shock of their first NHL trade is something they’re still trying to get a grasp of, both believe a fresh start was needed.
“Ya, I had a tough start to the year and I’ve been building my game of late, but I think it can only benefit me,” said Frost in a phone interview.
“It’s exciting to be coming to a team in the hunt. Joel and I want to play in the playoffs so bad.”
Neither know much about Calgary or the Flames, gleaning a bit of a scouting report from Travis Konecny, who raved about the city he and his Calgary-born wife summer in.
“He said there’s a lot of sunlight,” chuckled Farabee, 24, while he waited with Frost to board their westbound plane.
“I don’t know much about the team other than playing against them, but I know how hard it is to play in the Dome. I don’t think I ever won a game there in my time in Philly.”
In fact, the last time Farabee was spotted in the Dome, he was angrily chasing Martin Pospisil all over the ice.
“Ya, I played against him at worlds too and I think I was doing the same thing there,” laughed the six-foot, 186-pound Farabee, who comes with a bit of edge to his game.
“Glad we’re on the same side now, so we don’t have to do that anymore.”
Both touted as legit 20-goal scorers moving forward, the duo is being counted on to give one of the lowest-scoring teams a boost offensively.
Now, and down the road.
The two represent a more proven commodity than the wildly popular Jakob Pelletier and slumping Andrei Kuzmenko, who were sent to the rebuilding Flyers with a second-round (2025) and seventh-round (2028) pick. (Craig Conroy confirmed the second-rounder was Calgary’s pick, not the one acquired from Washington in the trade for Andrew Mangiapane.)
Frost and Farabee played plenty together over the years and will almost certainly make their debut on a third line together with Yegor Sharangovich Saturday. Expect both to be part of the second power-play unit.
Both spoke briefly with Conroy and coach Ryan Huska, who will reveal his new line combinations in Saturday morning’s skate, ahead of a home game against Detroit.
“We didn’t get into detail in terms of how he’d like to use me, but he was really kind and welcoming,” said Frost of his chat with a coach he’ll likely find a tad, um, different than John Tortorella.
“He seemed excited, and it made me feel good about it. I appreciate him keeping it quick because my phone has been blowing up.”
A restricted free agent this summer, the six-foot, 193-pound native of Aurora, Ont. said he is open-minded about the possibility of extending his contract in Calgary.
Given how long the Flames have searched for an “age-appropriate” centre with whom they can continue rebuilding, coming to terms shouldn’t take long.
Farabee was a bit of a salary dump for the Flyers, who still had three years left on a six-year deal paying the two-time 20-goal man $5 million annually.
Both seemed to clash at times with Tortorella, who moved them all around the lineup.
“I’m a two-way forward and I think I can play up and down the lineup,” said the U.S.-born Farabee, who is a left-shot winger who has played plenty on both sides.
“I pride myself on penalty killing, and little things away from the puck.”
Asked if he expected there to be a considerable difference between Huska and Tortorella, he laughed.
“I don’t think there are many guys like Torts, so it’s hard to compare him,” he said.
Frost said he left the game at Wells Fargo Center early Thursday “not for trade reasons” and found out later via phone he had played his last game as a Flyer.
“It was a weird, crazy night, but I got to meet up with a bunch of my teammates last night, and some more this morning with some staff, so it was nice to say goodbye,” said Frost, a playmaking centre whose faceoff prowess and zone entries are expected to play key roles for the Flames.
He’s already had a chance to say hello to several of his new teammates via text, none of whom he’s ever met before.
His only connection with the club is via prospect Rory Kerins, with whom he played junior in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
“I see him in the summer – great dude and great player,” said Frost, a two-time 100-point player with the Greyhounds.
“I know lots of guys who know guys in Calgary, and I’ve only heard great things.”
Farabee’s only connection comes via a world junior summer showcase he attended with Dustin Wolf.
“Looking forward to getting to Calgary,” started Frost, “and showing what we can do.”
