It's no secret that the Toronto Maple Leafs need to make a trade and have to find a way to increase their bottom six production and center depth at the same time.
Brad Treliving has a lot of options to choose from whether he wants to add size, speed, scoring, or a combination of all three.
One name that has flown under the radar and could make a lot of sense is Philadelphia Flyers center, Morgan Frost.
In his latest '32 Thoughts' article, Elliotte Friedman wrote about a potential deal for the Flyers former first-round pick:
A team in dire need of a center? Sounds like Brad Treliving's Toronto Maple Leafs.
With only 6 points through 16 games and being a healthy scratch multiple times, it's been, for lack of a better word; a cold start for Frost.
Philadelphia's 27th overall pick in 2017, there was a lot of hype surrounding him considering the Flyers traded Brayden Schenn to St. Louis for the pick. Scoring in his debut, the future looked great for Frost.
Unfortunately, injuries have derailed his career a bit, and has been solid the last two seasons with 87 points in 152 games, with a career-high 19 goals in 2022-23.
He hasn't gotten the chances he's had in previous seasons and there could be reason to think that Frost and the Flyers are looking to mutually part ways.
Morgan Frost already has a deep history entrenched within the Maple Leafs organization.
His father is Andy Frost, the legendary Maple Leafs PA Announcer, whose voice forever remains in the minds of any Leafs fan who has seen a game live.
It would be a beautiful bit of poetry bringing Frost to the team he loves and whose family has such a legendary connection, but does it work out for the Maple Leafs?
Yes, absolutely.
Toronto is in desperate need of scoring on their bottom six, and Frost would be the perfect offensive spark needed to get Max Domi going again. He's good with faceoffs, though not elite; and his defense isn't perfect.
They've also been kicking the tires at Frost's availability too.
But if Lane Lambert can get himself in Frost's ear and give him some guidance, it could pay off big in the long run. Still only 25, Frost hasn't hit his prime, and if Philly gives up on him then Toronto needs to pounce.
They don't have a lot of great assets, and it depends on how desperate the Flyers are to part ways.
A package of Nick Robertson, Pontus Holmberg, and a draft pick should be more than enough to suffice, and Toronto can make the money work other ways.
Neither men have shown really any offensive potential, combining for two goals. So much hype surrounded Robertson and he's failed, and Toronto desperately needs an upgrade over those two.
But for all his positives, Frost does come with some question marks. His injury history does him no favors, and the fact he hasn't picked it up this season for a struggling Flyers team could be a cause for concern.
There are also some analysts such as James Mirtle who don't believe Frost would be a good pickup given the new regime change:
He's not that expensive, only coming in at a $2.1M cap hit, but Toronto could spend their money elsewhere on someone who fits both offense and defense like a Ryan O'Reilly or Yanni Gourde.
Toronto needs a center, and Morgan Frost needs a fresh start it seems. What better way to fulfill Frost's childhood dream (as they've done so many times before) and get their offense going again?
POLL | ||
Does Morgan Frost make sense as a trade for the Maple Leafs? | ||
Yes, he would be awesome! | 169 | 20.8 % |
It's doable but it'll be tough | 247 | 30.4 % |
No it won't work out | 266 | 32.8 % |
Can we trade for McDavid? | 130 | 16 % |
List of polls |