Calgary’s summer has been defined more by restraint than noise, and that’s left one of the team’s biggest questions hanging right in the middle of its forward group: what happens with Morgan Frost?
The Flames have barely touched their forwards this offseason, even as they added Simon Nemec and Jacob Middleton to the blue line. That fits where Calgary is right now.
The club wasn’t positioned to swing for major upgrades up front, and it also wasn’t in a spot to move a pile of assets for help down the road. Most of the core is already under team control, but Frost stands out as the major decision point.
He can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2026.
That makes this season a massive one for him. Frost arrived in Calgary in January 2025 in the trade that sent Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2028 seventh-round pick to Philadelphia.
Joel Farabee came with Frost to the Flames. The Flyers didn’t squeeze much out of the return; Kuzmenko played seven games for them before being moved to Los Angeles with a seventh-round pick for a third-round pick, while Pelletier appeared in 25 games before leaving for the Tampa Bay Lightning as a free agent.
In the end, Philadelphia was left with a second- and third-round pick for Frost and Farabee. Calgary, meanwhile, got a center who fit quickly on the third line and a middle-six winger in Farabee.
Now the spotlight shifts to what Frost can become. This is the season where he gets the chance to prove he can handle a top-six center role in the NHL, and that would change everything about his next contract.
If he shows he belongs there, he’ll be paid like a top-six center on the open market, because teams are always hunting for center help. If he doesn’t, the market may still see him as a 3C, which is useful - just not nearly as lucrative.
The difference is real. A breakout age-27 season and a jump to 60 points could push Frost into the $7MM-$8MM range on his next deal, instead of the four-year, $6.3MM projection currently attached to him by AFP Analytics. If he proves he’s a top-six option, five or six years on the next contract is also on the table.
From Calgary’s side, the patience makes sense. The Flames need to figure out whether Frost is part of the long-term picture, and Frost has to decide whether he wants to lock in with a team that is still rebuilding.
Calgary is already tied to most of its forwards long term, with Ryan Strome and a few others among the exceptions. But Frost could wind up as the first-line center this season, and that’s not a role the Flames can realistically treat as a permanent solution if they’re trying to build a contender.
That leaves Calgary in a tricky place. The center depth isn’t strong enough for them to simply move on from what may be their best center option, but they also may not view Frost as a long-term top-six fixture.
For now, waiting gives them flexibility. If he takes a step forward, they can work on an extension.
If he plays well and the fit still doesn’t feel right, they can use that value to chase future assets before or at the NHL Trade Deadline.
For Frost, the upside is pretty clear too. At the very least, he has already shown he can be a 40-45-point third-line center, and that’s enough to earn a strong payday.
If he finds another level, the number only goes up. Even a disappointing year or an injury-hit season probably won’t crush his value too badly, either.
Free agency has been kind to players in their 20s, and it’s tough to imagine Frost taking a major hit from the $6MM AAV range unless everything really falls apart.
So the pause makes sense for both sides. Calgary wants more information.
Frost wants to maximize his next deal. That’s the standoff, and for now neither side appears eager to force the issue.
There’s always a chance a long-term offer could change the equation - generational wealth has a way of doing that - but there haven’t been any signs that an extension is close.
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