Latest news with #MorganFrost
National Post
15-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
FLAMES RETOOL TRACKER: Under-25 power rankings at centre position
Article content Power rankings are always great for debate. Article content Article content In this case, it's not just the pecking order that should spark conversation. Article content As part of our Flames Retool Tracker, we'll be examining their current stockpile of under-25 talent at each position. What you'll notice on this list of centres is that several of these guys come with the same asterisk — does he more likely project as a winger at the NHL level? Article content Article content We are not breaking news when we tell you the Flames are short on future faceoff men. This rundown will only reinforce that, although it's worth noting that a couple of candidates just aged out in Morgan Frost (26) and Sam Morton (25). Article content Without further ado, our power rankings of Calgary's current U-25 depth at the pivot position: Article content How acquired: Selected in first round, No. 24 overall, of 2020 NHL Draft. Article content Working in his favour: Zary loves to attack on offence and has both the hands and the moxie required to dance around a defender in a one-on-one scenario. Article content Still working on it: Could he become a better distributor? He collected just six even-strength assists in 54 games with the Flames this season. Article content Earlier this week, we made the case the Flames must continue to invest in determining if Zary can be a difference-maker up the middle. That's why he lands in the top spot on this list. If not for injuries, Zary likely would have potted 20 goals this season and that's certainly a realistic target for 2025-26. As the Flames move across the street to Scotia Place, he will be both a fan fave and one of their most dangerous offensive weapons. Article content Article content Article content How acquired: Selected in sixth round, No. 174 overall, of 2020 NHL Draft. Article content Kerins worked the wing during his five-game call-up in January, but he was primarily a centre during a breakthrough campaign with the Wranglers. While he doesn't do anything that is going to drop your jaw, Kerins just finds a way to produce offence, plain and simple. With 33 goals and 61 points, he was the youngest dude to finish inside the Top 10 in the AHL's scoring race. He already has four assists on his NHL stat sheet.
New York Times
04-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Could improving Flyers make it back into the NHL playoff race?
VOORHEES, New Jersey — The Philadelphia Flyers will welcome back two very familiar faces Tuesday night when Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee and the Calgary Flames visit the Wells Fargo Center. It was less than five weeks ago that the Flyers swapped the 20-something pair of former first-round selections for a couple of draft picks and forwards Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier. Advertisement At the time, it was seen as a move from some (cough) that the Flyers were throwing in the towel on the regular season, shipping away two players who, while inconsistent, still played important roles. Conversely, the Flames were looking to solidify their playoff position. Neither has happened. The Flyers have surged out of the 4 Nations break and are 4-0-1 in their last five games, including an impressive 2-1 shootout win over league-leading Winnipeg on Saturday. The Flames, meanwhile, are 2-4-2 in their last eight games sandwiched around the break, and have managed just one lone goal in their last three games, all losses (0-2-1). Frost has just three points (2g, 1a) in 10 games, while Farabee has only one point in 10 games, a goal on Feb. 4. It's too early to draw any broad conclusions, but the deal certainly looks fine from a Flyers perspective so far. Not only has Kuzmenko, especially, been a key contributor lately, but the team overall has seemingly found a groove. 'I feel we came back fresh (from the break),' captain Sean Couturier said. 'We know we've got a lot of work to do. We're a little behind in the standings, and wanted to get off to a good start. We've done that. It's about keeping it going.' As Couturier alluded to, and as unlikely as it may be, the Flyers are still eyeing a playoff push. Headed into Monday night they were just four points behind the second wild-card spot, but they'd also have to leapfrog five teams in order to get there. If the Flyers are to get to 92 points — one more than the eighth-seeded Washington Capitals finished with last season — they'd have to go something like 13-4-4 the rest of the way. So don't hold your breath. They do, though, have a few parts of their game that are trending the right way. And, they only need to look at last season's Pittsburgh Penguins for reason to believe it could happen. Should the Flyers beat the Flames on Tuesday, they'll have a 28-26-8 mark, which is the same record the Penguins had after 62 games before their late surge kept them in the race until the final day of the season. Advertisement The trade deadline could alter the Flyers' prospects, of course, as it's possible there could be further subtractions from the roster. But for now, let's take a look at how the Flyers have improved over the past couple of weeks and whether they could actually make this thing interesting. The only roster player who didn't skate in Monday's practice was Garnet Hathaway, who hit his head on the ice on Thursday in Pittsburgh after getting interfered with by the Penguins' Boko Imama. A team source said that tests 'came back negative' on Hathaway, suggesting the worst-case scenario was avoided, but he's still unlikely to play against Calgary. Other than that, though, everyone is available. The break came at a great time for the Flyers as Owen Tippett, Ryan Poehling, Egor Zamula and Rasmus Ristolainen were all able to recover from various ailments that had them miss games in early February. As a team, the Flyers are playing a noticeably faster and more straight-line brand of hockey, something that Frost and Farabee struggled with at times. There's more, though — the Flyers' aggressive style of play can take a toll. That may have been exacerbated by what was a compacted schedule between Christmas and the 4 Nations break, in particular, with 22 games in just a 43-day span. 'It's a taxing way to play — blocking shots, guys forechecking hard, (the defense has) to gap up a lot,' Cam York said. 'Energy is a big thing for us. Feel good right now.' Couturier used the same adjective as York. 'We're definitely a team that works extremely hard and doesn't really take any nights off — it's taxing,' he said. 'Those breaks come at key times sometimes, and I think this was one of them. … It seemed like some guys were running out of juice a little bit.' The schedule, while still busy the rest of the way, is at least somewhat more forgiving. Tuesday's game opens a seven-game homestand, and the Flyers have just two back-to-backs in March: one this weekend that doesn't include any travel, and another later this month in which the lowly Chicago Blackhawks are on the back end. Advertisement We could really divide this up into three subsections: rookie forward Matvei Michkov has taken his game to another level, with eight points in four games and a nifty shootout winner on Saturday; defenseman Jamie Drysdale looks more and more like he's turned a corner in his development; and the Noah Cates-Tyson Foerster-Bobby Brink line is again creating offense while simultaneously helping to shut down the opposition. The Cates line, especially, could be the key. The Flyers will enjoy the luxury of last change during the course of the homestand, so you can bet that Cates will see the bulk of his time against the other team's top center. After 11 scoreless games, Cates has three goals and two assists in his last three. Regardless of whether the young players collectively help the Flyers get back into the playoff race, it at least bodes well for the future. 'That's what we want to see as a rebuilding team,' Couturier said. 'You want to see guys keep getting better every day and improving on their game. I think the pressure is not on them yet, but it's going to come. They've got to just keep developing, keep doing what they're doing.' NOT ON SAM ERSSON'S WATCH! 🙅♂️ 📺: @ESPNPlus ➡️ — NHL (@NHL) February 28, 2025 This one's pretty simple: Sam Ersson is now a solid option in net, 18-10-4 on the season with a 2.40 goals-against average and .912 save percentage since Christmas, while Ivan Fedotov had what was easily his best game in the NHL on Saturday in Winnipeg with 30 saves. Coach John Tortorella reiterated on Monday that Fedotov's performance doesn't change the plan of giving Ersson the bulk of the starts the rest of the way, so he'll be back in against the Flames. But for the Flyers to truly go on a run, Fedotov is going to have to secure another couple of wins, at least, even if his time in the crease remains limited. Heck, even No. 3 Aleksei Kolosov made himself useful by dressing as Fedotov's backup in Winnipeg, allowing Ersson a full night off. Advertisement The Flyers' underlying numbers have been generally solid most of the season, which makes sense when you consider that the goaltending was porous for the first half and the power play has again been mostly brutal. According to MoneyPuck, the Flyers are fifth in the NHL in expected-goals share (53.6 percent); the only other club in the top 13 in that category not in playoff position is Utah. The penalty kill, after falling off a bit, has been much better lately. After impressively killing off two late third period advantages by the Jets on Saturday, the Flyers are 13-for-13 over their last seven games. Since Jan. 18, their 86.7 penalty kill percentage leads the league. While it's probably too much to expect the power play to find a rhythm, Kuzmenko has at least made them a bit more dangerous and they're getting more pucks on net. In fact, in the four games since the break, the Flyers' 80.8 shots-per-60 minutes on the power play leads the league, including two goals in eight opportunities. The Boston Bruins are banged up, older, and may be deadline sellers. Ditto the New York Islanders. The New York Rangers have been up and down all season and something just seems off there. The Ottawa Senators just snapped a five-game losing streak. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens are young and unproven. Yes, the Flyers have dug themselves a hole. But there's still time to recover, according to Tortorella. The team's identity fuels his optimism. 'The way the East is, I've always had hope,' he said. 'Every day I come into this building for practice, every day I go to the big rink for the games — I don't have to worry about effort. And that's a big part of staying in this, is the work habit. The standard of how we play, as far as effort. That's a given here. It's so good as a coach to know that that's there. 'Just going to try to keep it going, and if we fall off, get back at it. And we'll see how we fall at the end of the year.'
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What Flames Lines Could Look Like When Key Center Returns
When Connor Zary returns to the Calgary Flames lineup, things are going to look a lot different than when he left. The sophomore Flames center was knocked out of action back in early January, the victim of a knee-on-knee collision that looked initially like it could have been season-ending. But the 23-year-old got (relatively) good news and avoided surgery, and he resumed skating before the current 4-Nations Face-off break. While he was recovering, the Flames made some fairly large shakeups to the front end, bringing in another center, Morgan Frost, and winger Joel Farabee from the Philadelphia Flyers. It cost Flames GM Craig Conroy a couple of popular locker-room players in Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier — with Pelletier flanking Zary on the right side at the time of Zary's injury. With Zary sidelined, the Flames lines have been in flux. Before the break, they looked like this: Jonathan Huberdeau - Nazem Kadri - Matt Coronato Yegor Sharangovich - Morgan Frost - Joel Farabee Blake Coleman - Mikael Backlund - Dryden Hunt Ryan Lomberg - Kevin Rooney - Martin Pospisil Adam Klapka and Hunt have been sent back to the AHL Calgary Wranglers during the break, leaving an open door to them or other prospects coming up. Although the Flames are still looking for a right-handed center, they do have an increasing number of options at the position after the addition of Frost. When Zary returns, they'll have Kadri, Backlund, Frost and Rooney as natural centers and Pospisil, Sharangovich and Zary as additional players who have suited up down the middle this season. When Zary returns, It will be interesting to see where he lands. You can rule out the fourth line. Aside from that, anything is possible. We're going to assume Zary lands back on the wing with the knowledge he can move to the middle at any time given his experience prior to being Huberdeau - Nazem Kadri - Matt Coronato Connor Zary- Morgan Frost - Joel Farabee Blake Coleman - Mikael Backlund - Yegor Sharangovich Ryan Lomberg - Martin Pospisil - Adam Klapka Kevin Rooney The Calgary Flames are among the lowest-scoring teams in the league this season. But they like to balance scoring with responsibility, and this lineup of forwards seems to offer that. Zary could give newcomers Frost and Farabee the spark they need and might get first crack at filling out the Philly line. Coronato was promoted to the top scoring line before the break and brings another layer to it, and Sharangovich continues to seek a spark and playing with stalwarts like Coleman and Backlund tends to benefit players struggling to find their best. An ideal lineup has Rooney serving as the 13th man, and Klapka would fit in perfectly with fellow bangers Pospisil and Lomberg on the fourth line. Jonathan Huberdeau - Nazem Kadri - Matt Coronato Yegor Sharangovich- Morgan Frost - Joel Farabee Connor Zary - Mikael Backlund - Blake Coleman Ryan Lomberg - Martin Pospisil - Adam Klapka Kevin Rooney A slightly less intrusive version keeps Coronato at the top and puts Sharangovich on the wing with the new guys and Zary with the stabiliizng forces to help him adjust to game speed again. Jonathan Huberdeau - Nazem Kadri - Connor Zary Matt Coronato - Morgan Frost - Joel Farabee Blake Coleman - Mikael Backlund - Yegor Sharangovich Ryan Lomberg - Martin Pospisil - Adam Klapka Kevin Rooney This approach mixes things up on the first three lines with Zary instantly joining the top offensive line to help spark some scoring. Matt Coronato has formed a solid relationship driving the newcomers around and that chemistry may show on the ice, too. And Sharangovich could use some time with the veterans and take to rediscover his mojo.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NHL Rumor Roundup: The Latest On The Flyers, Blues And Senators
The Philadelphia Flyers made a significant trade last week, shipping forwards Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee to the Calgary Flames for forwards Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier and two draft picks. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Flyers GM Daniel Briere might not be done dealing in the trade market. During Monday's 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Friedman pointed out they cleared Farabee's $5 million annual average value for the next three seasons from their books. With the salary cap rising to a projected $95.5 million next season, Briere has freed room to go "big-game hunting" in the off-season. The Athletic's Kevin Kurz shared that view, suggesting they could clear more space by trading Rasmus Ristolainen at the March 7 trade deadline or during the summer. The 30-year-old defenseman has two years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $5.1 million. He also lacks no-trade protection. Kurz believed moving out Ristolainen would give the Flyers the cap flexibility to make a big roster addition. Friedman speculated that they could use an offer sheet to target talent on a cap-strapped rival, emulating the St. Louis Blues signing Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg from the Edmonton Oilers last of the Blues, terminating Brandon Saad's contract last week cleared $4.5 million from next season's salary-cap payroll. That move has their fans wondering who else from their current roster could be on the move before the trade deadline. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic suggested defensemen Justin Faulk and Ryan Suter as their most likely trade candidates. Faulk, 32, has two years left on his deal, with an average annual value of $6.5 million. He has a full no-trade clause that reverts to a 15-team no-trade list on July 1, the same day the 40-year-old Suter becomes the Ottawa Senators are breathing rarified air this week, sitting third in the Atlantic Division. Postmedia reports GM Steve Staios is scouring the trade market for a forward and a defenseman. The recent return of David Perron from a back injury could address that need for a forward. Nevertheless, Staios is rumored to be interested in Chicago Blackhawks center Ryan Donato and rugged winger Brandon Tanev. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on or by visiting our forum.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NHL Salary Cap On The Rise
The NHL announced on Friday that the league's salary cap upper limit would rise from $88 million to $95.5 million next season, jump to $104 million for 2026-27, and top out at $113.5 million for 2027-28. On top of the NHL salary cap's upper limit increasing to $95.5 million next season, the cap is expected to jump to $104 million and $113.5 million in the following two seasons: — The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) January 31, 2025 According to CapWages, the Calgary Flames have $16,399,167 in cap space for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. This includes subtracting Andrei Kuzmenko's ($5.5 million) and Jacob Pelletier's ($800,000) contracts and adding Joel Farabee's ($5 million) and Morgan Frost's ($2.1 million) contracts from Thursday night's blockbuster trade. The Flames' budget this season is $71,600,833, roughly $6 million over the current salary cap floor of $65 million. Only two NHL teams have more cap space in their budgets: the Anaheim Ducks ($17,118,333) and the Columbus Blue Jackets ($17,797,499). Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Flames currently have only eight forwards under contract ($40,650,000) and five defensemen ($14,987,500), and Dustin Wolf, who will be in the final year of his entry-level deal paying him $850,000. Ultimately, there will be some intriguing free agents from this year's team, including Matt Coronato, Connor Zary, Adam Klapka, Morgan Frost, and Kevin Bahl. Meanwhile, several key names on the Calgary Wranglers will need new contracts next season, including Sam Morton, Rory Kerins, Martin Frk, Dryden Hunt, Jeremie Poirier, and Yan Kuznetsov. However, Frank Seravalli quickly pointed out that the NHL operates in USD, so by 2027-28, the new upper limit of the salary cap of $113.5 million could be almost $50 million more to Canadian-based franchises. Real concern for (some) Canadian teams moving forward: a $113.5 million USD salary cap in 2027-28 equates to $163.2 million spending in Canadian dollars based on today's will those teams find a way to significantly generate new revenue to match increase? — Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) January 31, 2025 Thankfully, Scotia Place will be open for the 2027-28 season, helping the Flames generate more revenue, keep upcoming homegrown talent like Zayne Parekh and Henry Mews, and attract free agents like Cale Makar to Southern Alberta. Today's news about the NHL salary cap is the first time in years that the upper limit expanded by more than just a few million dollars and indicates how successful the NHL product has been coming out of the pandemic.
