3 Potential Trade Destinations for Flames Forward Morgan Frost

Will he stay or will he go? That’s a question that will only grow louder surrounding Calgary Flames centreman Morgan Frost in the coming months. The 27-year-old, who has three goals and seven points on the season, is set to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this summer.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported on Tuesday that the Flames have begun extension talks with Frost and his agent. You can certainly understand why general manager (GM) Craig Conroy and the entire organization would like to keep Frost around. He’s extremely talented and is capable of producing 40+ points in any given season. He also plays centre, a position which the Flames vastly need to improve.

There are also reasons to be wary when it comes to a Frost extension, however. While very talented, he has struggled to find consistency throughout his entire 403-game career. Based on his age and experience, it’s unlikely that he ever develops into much more than he is now. On top of that, he’s going to sign a pretty lucrative contract, especially given how few centres are set to be available in free agency this coming summer.

Suffice to say, the Flames have a big decision to make. Should they decide against an extension, they will undoubtedly trade Frost rather than walk him into free agency. If that happens, these three teams would all serve as excellent suitors.

Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild have turned into one of the Western Conference’s better teams in the last year. They have two elite talents up front in Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, and picked up one of the best defencemen in the NHL last year in Quinn Hughes. On top of that, they also have one of the league’s best young goalies in Jesper Wallstedt.

Despite all that talent, however, the Wild are still often overlooked as a Stanley Cup contender. The reason? They don’t have great centre depth. That is where Morgan Frost could be of major help.

The Wild are one of the teams in the running to acquire Dylan Larkin, but if they miss out on him, Frost could be a decent back-up option. He would add more skill to their lineup and would help out on the power play. He may not be the big get GM Bill Guerin is hoping for, but certainly isn’t a bad option.

Montreal Canadiens

Another team that could really benefit from adding Morgan Frost is the Montreal Canadiens. Their centre depth is being tested a ton right now without Nick Suzuki in the lineup, and while they have strung together three-straight wins, it’s become apparent they could use another player with some offence to his game down the middle.

The main issue here is that the Canadiens have just $1.77 million in cap space, which isn’t enough to fit Frost’s $4.375 million cap hit. With the Flames likely unwilling to retain on his deal, the Canadiens will need to find a way to open up cap space to make the deal work, or perhaps send a player like Kirby Dach back the other way.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Another team whose centre depth is being tested right now is the Toronto Maple Leafs. John Tavares has been sidelined the last six games with a lower-body injury, which has resulted in the coaching staff playing Nick Paul as their second-line centre. With all due respect to the 31-year-old, that’s higher in the lineup than he should be playing.

Frost would give the Maple Leafs depth in the centre position should injuries strike later in the season, and could settle into a third-line role when or if the Maple Leafs are fully healthy. He would also provide more depth scoring to a team that could use more support for their big guns such as Auston Matthews and William Nylander.

Flames Have a Big Decision to Make on Frost

Frost has the offensive talent to help several teams, but the Flames must decide whether his upside is worth a significant long-term investment. If extension talks stall, Conroy should have no shortage of potential trade partners.