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Flyers trade Farabee, Frost to Flames for Kuzmenko, Pelletier, picks

(Flyers: Heather Cattai/Heather Barry Images, LLC; Flames: Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images)

In a trade that began to leak out midway through a 3-0 loss to the New York Islanders on Thursday night, the Philadelphia Flyers have traded forwards Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost to the Calgary Flames for forwards Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2028 seventh-round pick.

The news was first reported by Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.

Frost left Thursday’s game early but Flyers head coach John Tortorella said that “he just wasn’t feeling good”and that’s why he left the bench. Farabee completed the game. Meanwhile in Calgary, Kuzmenko was held out of the lineup as a late scratch on Thursday night and Pelletier was pulled in the middle of the Flames’ 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.

Kuzmenko waived his no-trade clause to help facilitate the deal, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Who are the Flyers getting?

Andrei Kuzmenko

Kuzmenko was an undrafted free agent who spent parts of 8 seasons in the KHL before joining the Vancouver Canucks in 2022-23. In his final season overseas, he was teammates with Matvei Michkov for 13 games with SKA Saint Petersburg.

Kuzmenko’s inaugural NHL campaign saw him post 39 goals and 35 assists for 74 points in 81 games. His goal total was tied with Elias Pettersson for the Canucks lead and he was rewarded with a 2-year, $11M contract extension.

After that impressive first NHL season, Kuzmenko struggled in 2023-24 and was subsequently traded to the Flames in a package for Elias Lindholm, where the winger continued to struggle to find his original scoring touch. In the last two seasons, the 28-year-old recorded 26 goals and 35 assists for 61 points in 109 games before the trade.

In 37 games this season, Kuzmenko has tallied 4 goals and 11 assists.

Kuzmenko still carries a $5.5M price tag that expires at the end of this season. Whether the Flyers try to flip him at the deadline or try to extend him will remain to be seen. It is worth noting that there was a report from Calgary-based blog The Win Column that said Kuzmenko is likely heading back to the KHL after the season, but we’ll see how things play out in Philadelphia first.

Jakob Pelletier

Pelletier was drafted 26th overall by the Flames in the 2019 NHL Draft after a stellar 89-point season with QMJHL Moncton.

Since turning pro, Pelletier has bounced between the NHL and AHL. The 23-year-old has appeared in 61 NHL games since debuting in 2022-23, posting 8 goals and 13 assists. This season alone he has recorded 4 goals and 7 assists with the Flames, and with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers the left winger had 3 goals and 16 assists in 20 games.

Pelletier is clearly a talented young forward who fits the Flyers’ rebuilding timeline, but he could never carve out a consistent role in Calgary. However, he seems to be the biggest fish for Philadelphia in this deal. His steady improvement in the AHL has shown positive signs of development and he still has plenty of room to grow in the NHL, and perhaps he can now blossom with a change of scenery in Philadelphia.

Draft Picks

The Flames’ 2025 2nd and 2028 7th went to the Flyers in this deal. The 2025 2nd is obviously the more coveted draft choice and Philadelphia currently owns seven picks in the first two rounds of the 2025 NHL Draft (PHI 1st, EDM 1st, COL 1st, PHI 2nd, ANA 2nd, CBJ 2nd, CGY 2nd).

Who did the Flyers trade away?

Morgan Frost

There might not have been a more polarizing player on the Flyers than Frost during his tenure with the club.

After being selected 27th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, Frost has struggled to find consistency in the NHL. His offense has been spotty for the most part and his defensive game has never been particularly impressive. There were definitely flashes of his skill and brilliance with the puck, highlighted by a 46-point season just two years ago, but Frost has regressed since then. He dropped to 41 points in 2023-24 and is currently on pace for about the same amount this season, but his 18-goal pace would be 7 higher than last year if he actually reaches it.

The Flames have been in need for center depth for some time, and taking a chance on a 25-year-old with a low cost, good hands, and solid offensive potential was in the cards for them.

Joel Farabee

Farabee had plenty of promise after being drafted 14th overall in 2018. The 24-year-old winger only spent one year at Boston University before turning pro and recorded 21 points in 52 games in his first NHL season. He also tacked on 3 goals and 2 assists in 12 games in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Farabee then became the second-youngest Flyer to ever lead the team in goal scoring in 2020-21, with 20 in 55 games. After a slightly regressive 2021-22 season, he suffered a neck injury during 2022 offseason training but appeared in all 82 games that season. He seemed as good as new last year with career-highs in goals (22), assists (28), and points (50), but he took a major step back this season.

Farabee’s contract is probably what got him sent to Calgary to make things work out. He carries a $5M cap hit – $500K less than Kuzmenko – but he is on the books until 2028. Taking Kuzmenko for one year versus Farabee for another three years frees up even more cap space for the Flyers down the road when they believe they’ll be seriously contending again.

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Managing Editor at Flyers Nation. Proud lifelong supporter of the Philadelphia Flyers and all things hockey related. Steve Mason's #1 fan.

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