NHL Insider Links Blackhawks To Morgan Frost
Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
It’s safe to say that the Chicago Blackhawks could use some help right now. A spark, some breath of fresh air, anything to give the roster a jolt for the 6-12-1 squad. And according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the front office seems to agree.
In Thursday’s “32 Thoughts” column, Friedman, one of the NHL’s preeminent insiders, pegs the Blackhawks as being one of several teams on the hunt for centers. It makes sense, there are rumblings that Connor Bedard should be moved to the wing, but that makes little sense if there’s no one who can play in the middle of the ice.
One name Friedman identifies as a possibility? Morgan Frost of the Philadelphia Flyers, who’s found himself in John Tortorella’s doghouse. Friedman writes:
“Frost didn’t play Wednesday against Carolina, the fourth game of the last five he’s watched from the press box. He’s not a complainer, prefers to keep any displeasure behind closed doors, but players want to play. Obviously, any dance needs partners who deal, but the Blackhawks, in dire need of centres, are one team that makes sense for him.”
The 25-year-old Frost is having a rough start with the Flyers, with one goal and six points in 16 games, but he’s also coming off back-to-back 40-point seasons, with a career-high 19 goals and 46 points in 2022-23. Despite the decent point totals, Frost has rated more highly as a defensive center throughout his short career.
Courtesy of Evolving-Hockey
Frost is unlikely to cost something the Hawks can’t afford to give up. Over the next two drafts, the Blackhawks are rocking five second-rounders (two in 2025, three in 2026), two third-rounders (both in 2026), and four fourth-rounders (two in 2025 and 2026). That’s a nice (and expendable) surplus of mid-tier draft capital for a farm system that already boasts the No. 2 prospect pool in the NHL, per Elite Prospects.
Frost is unlikely to live up to the potential he once had as a first-round pick in 2017, even with a change of scenery. But he could be exactly what the Blackhawks need at this particular moment: A middle-six caliber center who can stabilize Chicago down the middle and avoid throwing a prospect like Frank Nazar into the deep end. It’d be a smart move by the Blackhawks at the right price.
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