About a year ago, the Calgary Flames made a move that caught just about everyone off guard. No rumors, no whispers-just a surprise trade that brought Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee over from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, and a pair of draft picks.
It was the kind of transaction that makes you stop scrolling and start digging. Now, with some distance and a season-plus of results, it's time to ask: how's that deal aging for Calgary?
The Trade Breakdown
Let’s lay out the full picture. This was a six-piece deal:
To Calgary:
- F Morgan Frost
- F Joel Farabee
To Philadelphia:
- F Andrei Kuzmenko
- F Jakob Pelletier
- 2025 2nd-round pick (used to select Shane Vansaghi)
- 2028 7th-round pick
At the time, Frost and Farabee were both NHL-ready players, though each came with question marks. Frost was heading toward free agency after the 2024-25 season, and Farabee had three years left on a $5 million AAV contract. Calgary, in return, gave up two picks and two players who were trending in the wrong direction.
Philadelphia’s Side: Clearing the Deck
For the Flyers, this was less about the return and more about the reset. Frost and Farabee had fallen out of favor in Philly.
Frost couldn’t find a consistent role under the current coaching staff and was even scratched on occasion. Farabee, meanwhile, was struggling to live up to a hefty contract just two years in.
Philadelphia's actions post-trade spoke volumes. Kuzmenko played just seven games before being flipped to the Kings for a 2027 third-rounder.
Pelletier got a longer look-25 games-but wasn’t qualified in the offseason and walked in free agency. That’s a pretty clear sign the Flyers were more interested in flexibility than in long-term pieces.
As for the draft pick, they used that 2025 second-rounder to select Shane Vansaghi, a forward now at Michigan State. So far, Vansaghi’s D+1 season has been underwhelming-eight points in 24 games-and he’s looking more like a bottom-six projection than a future star.
Calgary’s Side: A Curious Call with Tangible Upside
At first glance, this trade looked like a head-scratcher for Calgary. A team in the middle of a retooling phase giving up a second-round pick for two middle-six forwards? Not exactly the blueprint for a rebuild.
But here’s the thing: in terms of pure value, the Flames didn’t lose much. Kuzmenko was having a brutal season and had little trade value left.
Pelletier had already cleared waivers earlier that year. The second-rounder, while always valuable, turned into a player with modest upside.
From that lens, Calgary essentially turned spare parts and a coin flip into two NHL players with bounce-back potential.
That potential didn’t show up immediately. Frost and Farabee combined for just 18 points in 63 games to close out the 2024-25 season. But fast forward to this year, and there’s finally some payoff.
Frost Finding His Footing
Morgan Frost has taken a noticeable step forward in 2025-26. The 26-year-old is on pace for 41 points, which would tie the second-best mark of his career.
He’s become a steady contributor in Calgary’s forward group and earned a two-year extension in the offseason. With unrestricted free agency looming in 2027, the Flames will need to decide whether he’s a long-term fit or a trade chip for future assets.
Either way, Frost is delivering solid value in a role that Calgary needed to fill. He’s not lighting up the scoreboard, but he’s giving the team reliable, two-way play and helping stabilize the middle six.
Farabee Still Searching
Farabee’s situation is a bit trickier. He’s on pace for 32 points this season-an improvement from last year, but still well below what the Flames were hoping for when they took on his $5 million cap hit. There’s still time for him to rediscover the form that once made him a 50-point player, but right now, he’s more of a question mark than a solution.
With two years left on his deal, Calgary is in wait-and-see mode. If he can find consistency, he could still be a valuable piece. If not, that contract becomes a bit of a burden.
The Verdict: A Win on Paper, But What’s the Endgame?
From a value standpoint, this trade still leans in Calgary’s favor. Kuzmenko and Pelletier are out of the picture in Philly.
The second-round pick turned into a player who, at best, projects as a third-liner. And Frost is showing signs of life in a meaningful role.
But here’s where things get complicated. The Flames are a team stuck in the middle-not quite rebuilding, not quite contending.
Adding two middle-six forwards doesn’t necessarily move the needle. It fills holes, sure, but it doesn’t elevate the ceiling.
And that’s the real question: was this trade about short-term stability or long-term growth?
If Frost continues to trend upward and becomes a core piece-or is flipped for future assets-then the deal looks even better. If Farabee can rebound, it becomes a steal. But if both players plateau, Calgary may have just bought themselves a few more years of mediocrity.
Final Thought
This trade was never about flashy names or blockbuster returns. It was about calculated risk, and so far, Calgary’s side of the ledger looks solid.
The Flames didn’t give up much, and they’ve gotten useful minutes from Frost and, to a lesser extent, Farabee. Now the question shifts from “Did they win the trade?”
to “What do they do with the pieces they got?”
Because in the NHL, winning a trade is great. But turning that win into something meaningful for your franchise-that’s the real goal.