The Calgary Flames may have interest in trading Morgan Frost, and if they do, then it opens the door for Toronto to add a much cheaper top-six option to the lineup.
As the NHL offseason hits its lull phase, we're starting to see less and less transactions as teams settle into their lineup, try and figure out cap space and focus on getting all their ducks in a row before the new 84-game NHL season opens up.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a ton of hype around them especially with the addition of Gavin McKenna, and while the team has done very well to instil change into not only the lineup but the coaching staff and front office, they still have some work to be done before they are truly prepared for the season.
That involves getting themselves a top-six player who can slide into the lineup and provide some much needed offensive help and potentially be the replacement for John Tavares down the line. They have some guys like Patrick Kane who could help the offence, but they could take a look at a younger option instead.
Frost gives Toronto the flexibility to move John Tavares and help Auston Matthews
News coming out of Calgary courtesy of David Pagnotta is that the Flames are more than open to listening on offers for centre Morgan Frost, as he could be the latest victim in Calgary roster restructuring that's involved several big moves:
Morgan Frost's name still out there. They have others they're willing to listen on. There are teams interested in Whitecloud still, and so on and so on. So this is going to be an interesting summer.
This echoes Pagnotta's trade board where he had Frost ranked 12th, but no teams had been revealed as linked or interested:
The Flames are open to moving Frost, who is entering the last year of his current contract. He can slot into a mid-six centre position and has some say with an eight-team no-trade list.
Frost, 27, came over to the Flames in a deal that sent him and Joel Farabee for a package that included Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier going to Philadelphia.
He had full season with the Flames in 2025-26 and had a very solid year with 43 points (22 goals, 21 assists) while playing in all 82 games, and nearly a 57% face-off win percentage with only 28 PIM in 15:30 TOI.
He would be able to give Toronto that face-off acumen that Tavares is known for, while also providing great offence and allowing Tavares to slide to the wing potentially, swap back and forth with Frost in the middle, or even run the third line himself.
Calgary's rebuild should keep Frost's price down if he becomes available
The Flames aren't exactly rushing to push Frost out the door, but he is only going to get older and is looking for a raise over his $4.375-million deal. He needs a new deal next summer, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him earn $7-million AAV on his new contract.
Calgary wants to get younger and rebuild from the ground up, so if Frost is available then Toronto certainly has some options. There's William Villeneuve who could slide into the Flames lineup right away and help their blueline, meanwhile Miroslav Holinka and Jacob Quillan are intriguing forward prospects.
Holinka is familiar being out west spending time with Edmonton in the WHL and is a young prospect who is a potential 20-goal scorer with two-way potential. Quillan is a versatile forward who can play anywhere you need him to, has scoring potential, leadership qualities and is ready for the NHL now.
It would be more of a quantity over quality type of package for Frost, but Toronto needs to get themselves prepared for now and the future, and Frost is a better choice for them:
To Toronto:
(C) Morgan Frost
To Calgary:
(D) William Villeneuve
(F) Miroslav Holinka
(F) Jacob Quillan
All three are likely to be in the AHL for a lot of the year in Toronto and could use a change of scenery if they're that close. Toronto isn't waiting for them to be good, and are ready to win now.
While Frost isn't the most exciting name out there, he does offer a great deal of help to the Maple Leafs and if he's available then John Chayka needs to make sure he's one of the first in line to present an offer.
Do you think Morgan Frost would be a good fit with the Toronto Maple Leafs?
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