Flyers Giving Struggling Morgan Frost One More Chance to Prove Himself

Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella, who has had his fair share of clashes with Morgan Frost in the past, is giving the embattled center one more chance to prove himself, starting with a Saturday afternoon matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Frost, 25, has responded well to Tortorella’s criticisms and mind games in the past. In his first full season in the NHL in 2022-23, Tortorella’s first as Flyers head coach, Frost posted 19 goals, 27 assists, and 46 points in 81 games.

Last season, Frost took a step back and was healthy scratched for multiple games at the start of the season. He was also benched by Tortorella at the turn of the New Year. And despite all of that, the Flyers’ former first-round pick finished with 13 goals, 28 assists, and 41 points in only 71 games.

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Flash forward to 2024-25, and we are in the same boat again. Frost is again a healthy inactive by Tortorella’s design.

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Having played just one in the last two weeks, Frost is sitting at a modest one goal, five assists, and six points in 16 games on the year. His 3.4% shooting percentage is comfortably a career-low, and only two of Frost’s points have come away from the power play.

You don’t need to be Albert Einstein to know that those numbers aren’t good enough for a player who started the year anchoring the Flyers’ top forward line with Matvei Michkov and Owen Tippett.

“I think Frosty is going to play tomorrow. I’m really anxious to see him play,” Tortorella said of Frost after practice on Friday.

There is a level of commitment in Tortorella’s answer, but not confidence.

What else does the grizzly coach need to see from Frost to keep him in the lineup?

“Everything. I don’t know what else to tell you,” Tortorella said frankly. “It’s pretty evident what I’m looking for. It’s all facets of the game. I’ve seen Frosty answer, I saw him answer last year and [he] played pretty well. Hope he does it.”

On the heels of his lengthy absences from the lineup, Frost has been a frequent subject of trade rumors, including NHL insider Elliotte Friedman connecting Frost to the Blackhawks, Saturday afternoon’s opponents.

“Player-team that seem a match: Morgan Frost and Chicago. Frost didn’t play Wednesday against Carolina, the fourth game of the last five he’s watched from the press box,” Friedman wrote in his latest “32 Thoughts” column. “Obviously, any dance needs partners who deal, but the Blackhawks, in dire need of centers, are one team that makes sense for him.”

One day after Friedman wrote the above in his column, Frost is back in the Flyers’ lineup for Saturday’s game against the Blackhawks. Who would’ve thunk it?

The onus is now on Frost to show his best to Tortorella and the Flyers, or his time in Philadelphia could be abruptly coming to curtains.