Morgan Frost ended the 2022-23 campaign with 16 goals and a team-leading 40 points in the final 54 games of the season. What was even more impressive is that every point but one came while playing even-strength hockey. After turning the corner, the expectations were rather high entering 2023-24 – or at least the highest they’ve ever been for Frost.
The season did not start out the way he had hoped as he was scratched 6 times in the first 12 games and had 0 points to show for it. Mixed in with 11 healthy scratches, Frost only scored 5 goals and 11 points in his first 27 games. After being made a healthy scratch ahead of a home game versus Columbus, Frost reportedly had an open conversation with head coach John Tortorella.
Tortorella has always been known for his open dialogues and open-door policy. There are moments in time where he will bench you, scratch you, and give you no warning before making an important lineup decision but it’s up to the player to make the effort to talk things out. Scott Hartnell made mention of that open-door policy during his recent interview with Spittin’ Chiclets.
After Frost talked with Tortorella, it should come as no surprise that the soon-to-be 25-year-old has been playing with a lot more confidence and swagger. He has posted 2 goals and 5 assists in the 7 games since, including 2 primary assists in their 5-1 victory against Dallas.
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic had the full quote from Tortorella about the meeting with Frost:
After the game against the Calgary Flames, one in which Frost scored a goal and added an assist, he was quoted as saying:
“I had some things I wanted to kind of get off my chest, good back and forth,” Frost said. “Just to go in there and speak my mind, hear his thoughts, hash everything out was good.”
A confident Frost is a dangerous Frost, and if the youngster can hone in on that feeling for the rest of the season – as he did last year after his explosive catalyst-game against Arizona – the sky is the limit for both player and team.
With Sean Couturier on the mend with a minor injury against the Winnipeg Jets and the St. Louis Blues, Frost was tasked to step up his game and he did exactly that. He recorded 2 assists, was a plus-1, had 7 shots on goal, and averaged 18:45 TOI in two statement victories for the white-hot Flyers.
With Couturier back in the lineup for Thursday’s game, Frost still shone brightly with 2 primary assists, including a highlight-reel, no-look, through-the-legs deflection to a streaking Sean Walker to get the Flyers on the board at the end of the first period. He also had a wicked shift in the first period with 4 puck retrievals in the offensive zone.
He added his second assist of the night on the power play at a critical juncture of the game. He deflected a Travis Sanheim rebound opportunity forward to Cam Atkinson, who was able to deflect the puck out of mid-air to give the Flyers a 3-1 lead to start the third period.
The 25-14-6 Flyers are going to need his production if they plan on making a postseason run. The goals have dried up this season as they entered Thursday night ranked 24th in goals. Tortorella understands Frost’s offensive game is his strongest suit and while he wants a two-way game to blossom, he knows the club needs his playmaking ability:
Inconsistencies have plagued his young career as he has just 33 goals and 87 points in 192 games across 5 seasons. However, if he can play the way he did to end the 2022-23 season as well as his past 7 games, the Flyers will have a 2C with intangibles that the rest of the lineup does not possess – which should be a scary thought for opposing teams as the Flyers can only get better with Frost improving.
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