Will Morgan Frost be in Calgary long term, or is he headed for the trade market before he can hit unrestricted free agency this summer? That question is getting louder around the Flames, and Tuesday brought a fresh wrinkle when TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that Calgary has started extension talks with Frost and his agent.
There’s a clear case for keeping him. Frost, 27, has three goals and seven points this season, and he brings the kind of center skill the Flames need more of. He’s the sort of player who can push into the 40-point range in a season, and that alone makes him an appealing piece for general manager Craig Conroy and the organization.
But the hesitation is real, too. Frost’s career has been marked by inconsistency, and through 403 games, he hasn’t shown much indication that he’s going to become something dramatically different than what he is now. Add in the fact that he’ll command a meaningful contract in a market where centers are expected to be scarce this summer, and Calgary has a tricky call to make.
If the Flames decide not to extend him, the more likely path is a trade rather than letting him walk for nothing. And if that’s where this goes, there are a few teams that make a lot of sense.
One of them is Minnesota. The Wild have climbed into the upper tier of the Western Conference over the last year, powered by Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy up front, Quinn Hughes on the blue line and Jesper Wallstedt in goal.
Even with that high-end talent, they’re still not always treated like a true Stanley Cup threat, and one big reason is their lack of center depth. Frost could help there.
Minnesota is also in the mix for Dylan Larkin, but if that pursuit falls short, Frost would give them another skilled option who could add to the power play and strengthen the overall lineup.
Montreal is another fit, especially with Nick Suzuki out of the lineup. The Canadiens have won three straight, but the absence of their top center has made the need for another offense-minded pivot pretty obvious.
The obstacle is cap space. Montreal has just $1.77 million available, well short of Frost’s $4.375 million cap hit.
Unless Calgary retains salary - which the source indicates is unlikely - the Canadiens would have to clear room, or possibly send Kirby Dach back the other way.
Toronto also belongs in the conversation. The Maple Leafs have been forced to adjust with John Tavares out for the last six games because of a lower-body injury, and that has pushed Nick Paul into the second-line center role.
Frost would give them another center option if injuries hit again, and he could settle into a third-line job when the roster is healthy. He’d also bring additional scoring depth to a group that already leans on Auston Matthews and William Nylander.
That’s the decision staring down Calgary now: pay to keep a useful, productive center, or turn him into a trade asset while the market still makes sense. If extension talks don’t go anywhere, Conroy should have no trouble finding suitors.
In Other News...
Kirill Kaprizov Has The Wild Looking Dangerous Again
Kirill Kaprizov kept the Wild rolling with another big night, helping Minnesota beat the Utah Mammoth 3-1 and extend its win streak to three games. Joel Eriksson Ek and Maxim Shabanov also found the net, while Jesper Wallstedt turned aside 26 shots to help settle things down after Logan Cooley got Utah on the board.
For a team that has been looking more dangerous by the night, this trip offered another useful sign that the attack is starting to click in different ways. Minnesota has been getting production from more than one line, and the combination of timely scoring and steadier goaltending has the Wild in a much better spot as they head home. [Read more 🡒]
Quinn Hughes Just Put A Huge Wild Decision In Focus
Quinn Hughes has fit in well since arriving from Vancouver in December, giving the Wild another proven defenseman as they continue to sort out the bigger picture around their blue line. Even so, the contract clock keeps ticking, and Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin made it clear this week that there has not been any fresh extension chatter with Hughes or his agent.
For now, Guerin says his attention is on the teams performance and the standing business of the season, with the contract question to be handled later. That leaves the Wild in a familiar spot with a productive player heading toward a major decision point, and it is one that could become a lot more pressing once the calendar turns toward July. [Read more 🡒]
Wild May Have To Sacrifice A Top Prospect For Center Help
The Wild are still looking to reshape their roster after the Quinn Hughes acquisition, and the search has apparently led them back into the trade market for a true top center. According to reports, Minnesota has been willing to include Danila Yurov in packages as it tries to pry away a bigger name, a sign that the cost of upgrading the middle of the ice may be more than the club hoped to pay.
Seattles Shane Wright and Nashvilles Nicolas Hague have also come up in the wider trade chatter as both teams sort through their own roster changes. For Minnesota, the question is whether it can keep chasing the kind of center help it wants without further draining the prospect pool, or whether the asking price keeps climbing as the market settles in. [Read more 🡒]