Flames believe Frost, Farabee bring offensive boost

It turns out Craig Conroy’s phone was working the whole time.

The Calgary Flames’ general manager joked on Thursday night that fans in the city had been playfully teasing him recently for not yet upgrading a playoff-contending roster that has surprised many in the hockey world who thought they’d be destined for the draft lottery.

On Thursday, he pulled off a significant in-season move, shipping out forwards Jakob Pelletier and Andrei Kuzmenko, plus the club’s 2025 second-round draft pick and 2028 seventh-round draft pick to Philadelphia in exchange for winger Joel Farabee and centre Morgan Frost.

“People like to chirp me when I’m walking around,” Conroy said after the deal was made official following the Flames’ 4-1 win over Anaheim. “…You don’t know when it’s going to happen or when it’s the right time, but today felt like the right time.”

Kuzmenko, a pending free agent who makes $5.8 million this season, was a late scratch on Thursday, while Pelletier, a Flames first-round pick in 2019 who cleared waivers earlier this season, was pulled from the game after the first period.

Both Conroy and head coach Ryan Huska emphasized that the Flames’ play this season dictated the roster upgrade. Calgary has outperformed most projections and sits in a playoff spot well past the halfway mark of the season. They have a defined team identity, play hard most nights, and have gotten outstanding goaltending from Dustin Wolf.

Conroy felt he should do right by his team and try to upgrade the club’s goal scoring.

“I definitely wanted to give the team something,” Conroy said. “They deserved it. They’ve earned it, and to give them a boost, a shot in the arm, or whatever it is, we felt like these two players could do that. And they’re at the right age.”

The Flames are 28th in goals per game, an area that should be upgraded both now and in seasons to come with the 24-year-old left winger Farabee and 25-year-old centre Frost, both of whom are under team control beyond this season. The two have a combined 19 goals this season, while Kuzmenko and Pelletier have a combined eight.

Conroy said that the deal came together Thursday morning, but the Flames had talked about both players dating back years. Farabee and Frost are both former first-round draft picks. Frost is a pending restricted free agent while Farabee carries a cap hit of $5 million through 2028.

“I watched [Frost] tonight on the power play, he made some real nice plays,” Conroy said. “Quick one-touches, he gets the puck in. He can transport the puck up and get it in. We’ve had some problems at times this year getting the puck in. And Joel, he’s got some jam and he can score.”

Frost has 25 points in 49 games, while Farabee has 19 points in 50 games.

Conroy compared Farabee to a current Flame.

"When you watch him, he's maybe a younger Blake Coleman-type player where he chips in offensively, he can score, he can put up points but he's got some grit and you feel very comfortable when he's on the ice in all situations," Conroy said.

This is not just a move to get the Flames into the playoffs in three months. Conroy has said several times that he’s not in the market for rentals or quick fixes. Farabee and Frost join a burgeoning group of young players wearing red and white, including Calder Trophy candidate Dustin Wolf (23), Connor Zary (23), and Matt Coronato (22), who scored twice on Thursday.

“These players coming in, we feel like they’re going to help us this year, for one, but they also fit the wheelhouse for what we’re trying to do,” Huska said. “These aren’t just guys that are going to kind of get us there now. We want to grow with these players.”

The Flames locker room after the win was understandably subdued. It’s a tight-knit group that’s loud and gets along. Pelletier and Kuzmenko were often the most vocal players during pregame skates, keeping the mood light and loose.

Veteran Nazem Kadri used the phrase “it sucks” more than once on Thursday night.

“When it happens to younger kids that this typically might be the first time they’re in a situation like this, you feel for them,” he said. “It sucks, man. It’s hard to stay focused. It obviously caught everybody’s attention, but at the end of the day, we got the job done.”

It was a hard day at the Saddledome, but one with potentially positive returns that could be realized when the team plays in its new rink two years from now.

“[Pelletier] was giving the guys kisses and rubbing heads and all that,” Conroy said. “That’s the tough part, but you’re trying to build something here. You’re trying to bring in the right people, but it’s that room that’s doing it. It’s that veteran leadership group.”