Daniel Brière met with some Philadelphia Flyers (23-24-6) media this morning to discuss the recent trade with the Calgary Flames.
On January 31st, the Flyers announced their trade with the Flames, sending Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost to Calgary for Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, a 2025 second-round, and a 2028 seventh-round selection. Rumors of this transaction began before Philadelphia lost to the New York Islanders at the Wells Fargo Center.
During the second period, Frost exited the game. The rumor mill began to cycle about his absence correlating to the trade, but that wasn’t true. John Tortorella said Frost exited the game versus the Islanders because he didn’t feel good:
“Morgan [Frost] just didn’t feel good. He took a rest for a little bit, tried to come [back], and he didn’t feel right. He just couldn’t play.” – John Tortorella; 1/30/2025
Frost was the first name leaked in the potential trade rumors, but it’s worth mentioning that Farabee completed the game. All of the equipment for Frost was in the locker room after losing to the Islanders. Within a few hours, Brière dealt them to the Flames. The decision to trade Farabee and Frost liberated cap space, and Brière mentioned how he felt this deal returned the best value to the Flyers. He felt players like Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, Noah Cates, and Ryan Poehling took a step forward, fitting the rebuild better than Farabee and Frost.
Notoriously, Philadelphia is thin at the C position. Brière could not get a C in return on the trade. However, the psychology behind this trade sets the Flyers up for the future. Potentially, the Flyers could be in a position to have available cap space earlier than the 2026 offseason.
“It gives us [the Flyers] some possibilities going into the offseason. It’s like cracking the door open; I wouldn’t say it’s wide open. I’m not saying that this will be the year. It’s got to be the right player or players if we do decide to open up the checkbook and go after free agents, but it does crack the door open to some possibilities.” – Daniel Brière; 2/1/2025
This season, Frost competed in 49GP, tallying 25 points (11G, 14A) in a contract season with a $2.1mil/AAV cap hit. Pelletier is an LW who can play C. In 24GP, Pelletier totaled 11 points (4G, 11A) in a contract season with an $800k/AAV.
However, the most challenging aspect of this deal was moving Farabee. Farabee is not in a contract season, carrying a $5mil/AAV cap hit through 2027-2028. In 50GP, Farabee contributed 19 points (8G, 11A). Brière took calls from teams and realized most teams weren’t willing to take on the cap hit and contract term Farabee carried.
“It’s no secret, especially in Joel’s [Farabee] case, the cap hit moving forward was tough. [In] most of the discussions we’ve [the Flyers] had, teams were not willing to take on his full salary, especially with the term left on it. Morgan was getting close to getting paid a lot more money.” – Daniel Brière; 2/1/2025
Kuzmenko doesn’t have another season left on his contract with a $5.5mil/AAV cap hit. In 37GP, Kuzmenko conjured 15 points (4G, 11A).
If Kuzmenko and Pelletier don’t catch fire in Philadelphia, Brière will have even more cap space.
Still, the players need to be a fit. Brière won’t make a splash without a purpose. However, the Flyers are in a new position. They’re rebuilding, but the cap flexibility with the gained 2025 second-round pick headlines the trade. While this trade is more about the future, it doesn’t mean they’re turning in the 2024-2025 campaign.
“For us [the Flyers], it’s not giving up on the season. Kuzmenko has proven to be a game-breaker before. If there’s some chemistry there, who knows what happens? We’re giving Pelletier the chance to play; we’ll see what he has. He’s spunky; maybe he brings a spark. A lot is going to depend on the chemistry that is being built and it’s going to have to be done quickly.” – Daniel Brière; 2/1/2025
In place of Farabee, Kuzmenko had a dynamic upside in 2022-2023 with the Vancouver Canucks. His pace slowed in Calgary, but there is hope Kuzmenko finds chemistry with Matvei Michkov in Philadelphia. Tortorella said he paid attention to particular analytics, like goals for and against averages. Kuzmenko and Michkov were briefly KHL teammates for SKA St. Petersburg in 2021-2022. We’ll see how Kuzmenko fits into the lineup, but his familiarity with Michkov and the ability to communicate more efficiently would make him a fit on the same line.
Pelletier has an opportunity to battle for bottom six placement. By most accounts, he sounds like a fit in the lineup. He is a checking forward with versatility, which is serviceable in a rebuild. Brière and Tortorella are still trying to figure out who belongs, and now they must consider Kuzmenko and Pelletier.
“For Kuzmenko, we get to see what he is. He had a real good year two years ago. Last year, [he] had a rough start but really came on in the second half. Again a little bit of a slow start, but he’s coming on lately. It gives us a chance to see a little bit of him from here on out and see if we can boost our offense a little bit coming down the stretch. Pelletier; he’s a former first-round pick and someone who hasn’t had the chance to put it together in Calgary. We’re hoping that a fresh start for him gets him going. We like the motor, his energy, his spunk; he also has some offense in his background. We’ll see what he can do, but we’re excited about him, and he’s only twenty-three years old.” – Daniel Brière; 2/1/2025
Expect Kuzmenko and Pelletier to make their Flyers debut against the Utah Hockey Club.
