The Calgary Flames have traded forwards Jakob Pelletier, Andrei Kuzmenko, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2028 seventh-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for forwards Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost.

Frost, who is only 25 and has back-to-back 40-point seasons, gives the Flames the middle-6 center they are looking for. Mikael Backlund is now age 35 and is not ideally suited for a second-line role. In addition, Yegor Sharangovich is better suited to be a winger and not a center. As well, it is not known how long Connor Zary will be out of the lineup. Frost could welcome moving out of John Tortorella's defense-first system, as he was healthy scratched for four games in November.

Farabee is in a similar boat to Frost, as we will find out soon enough whether Torts' system has in fact capped their upsides. Farabee himself was healthy scratched three times this month and has just 19 points in 50 games after reaching 50 points last season. He could also benefit from better puck luck, as his 5-on-5 SH% of 7.2% and secondary assist percentage of 27.3% are both the lowest of his career. His $5 million cap hit through 2028 isn't ideal, but he has the potential to rediscover his game in Calgary.

Pelletier, a former first-round pick, has yet to translate high scoring totals in the QMJHL and AHL to the NHL. His high-energy game could be a decent fit for Tortorella's system, which could spark his game to another level. For now, he is leaning toward being a middle-6 forward at the NHL level, possibly even a bottom-6 forward.

Meanwhile, Kuzmenko doesn't seem like he'll last long with the Flyers. Healthy scratched by two NHL teams (Vancouver, Calgary) mainly for defensive issues, Kuzmenko hardly seems like the ideal fit for Tortorella's system that doesn't exactly let talented players like Matvei Michkov cook. The 29-year-old Kuzmenko is on the final year of his contract, although there is some belief that he is being brought in to help mentor 20-year-old fellow Russian Michkov, at least in the short term. Kuzmenko was a 38-goal scorer two seasons ago with the Canucks, but he has scored just four goals this season.

Overall, this trade doesn't seem to hugely swing the values of any Flyers or Flames in either direction. Yet it's possible that at least one of the traded players benefits from a change in scenery.

Players this helps, in order:

Farabee

Frost

Pelletier

Tyson Foerster

Noah Cates

Players this hurts, in order:

Kuzmenko

Backlund

Blake Coleman

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