Philadelphia Flyers Top 25 Under 25 No. 8: Morgan Frost

No. 8: Morgan Frost

2022-23 League/Team(s): Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) 2022-23 Statistics: 81 GP, 19 G, 27 A, 46 PTS Age: 24 Acquired In: 2017 NHL Draft - Round 1, Pick 27

How did Frost’s 2022-23 season go? Is his stock trending up or down from where it was entering the year?

Morgan Frost had a true breakout season in 2022. He was able to play 81 out of 82 games, set career highs in goals, assists, and points, and more importantly, silenced any lingering doubts that he was an NHL-level player.

Frost\'s 46 points ranked him fourth on the Flyers, and he looked like one of the best players on the team in stretches. Case in point was his 20 game stretch to end the year, where he tallied 17 points and looked like he was really starting to hit his stride just as the season concluded.

If he can re-discover that form to start the season, or even improve on it, he will automatically become one of the most important players on the Flyers\' roster. Sean Couturier will be back from a lengthy absence, but the departure of Kevin Hayes means that the second-line center spot is Frost\'s for the taking once again. In addition, more power play time should be in order, which should lead to him improving on his total of five power play points from 2022.

What are we expecting from Frost this season? What should we be looking for from him?

As previously mentioned, Frost should have an even more expanded role on this year\'s team, and after experiencing a complete NHL season last year, he should be more well equipped to deal with the ebbs and flows. He has the raw ability to take another massive leap, but it will all come down to circumstance, and if he gets off the mark quickly.

The combination of Frost, Joel Farabee, and Owen Tippett played just over 130 minutes together as a trio last season, and they were statistically one of the most dangerous lines the Flyers put on the ice. Out of lines to play over 100 minutes together, Farabee-Frost-Tippett had the best expected goals percentage of any combination the Flyers put together. If those three are on the same line out of the gate to start 2023-24, Frost should have a good chance to really start the year well and start racking up the numbers right away.

How does Frost fit in the Flyers’ rebuild? Is it likely he’s going to be a part of the next good Flyers team?

Morgan Frost is already a huge part of the Flyers’ team. Unfortunately, the \"good\" part hasn\'t really kicked in just yet.

Ideally, Morgan Frost will be a large piece of whatever the next great Flyers team looks like. He is the type of player you want to hold on to, as he has such advanced on-ice vision that even if he doesn\'t totally fulfill his ultimate potential, he would still be a valuable player simply because he knows how to get his teammates involved.

Elite teams these days have players who can create offensive opportunities littered all throughout their lineup. Even lines that are considered more defensively oriented need to be able to move the puck and enter the zone effectively, because it is much easier to prevent the other team from scoring when you\'re not constantly hemmed in your own zone.

At the very least, Frost could serve in a role like that, but in the best case ... he could develop into a dynamic point-per-game player.

Heading into his age-24 season with noticeable improvements year over year, Frost is a guy who should develop into a staple for years to come, as long as he re-signs again in two years time.

What do we think Frost’s ultimate NHL upside is, and how likely is it that he gets to something approaching that?

Frost is on a trajectory that will see him become, at the worst, a talented top-9 center with the ability to contribute on the power play. But he really is capable of more than that. If he can build on last season\'s healthy, steady output, he should be able to push towards the 70-point mark. Frost reads the play so well that he should be able to reach 30-plus assists pretty frequently, and if his goal scoring talent continues to develop at the same pace as his playmaking acumen, he could push for the 30-goal mark, too.

Frost probably isn\'t going to be a guy who is the best player on a cup contender, but he is nonetheless still capable of being a top-6 contributor on a winning team if he can keep on this same path he is on now. Out of all of the forwards on the 2022-23 roster, Frost is not doubt one of the most promising bright spots to look at for the future.

Talking Points