The Philadelphia Flyers gave an update on several injured players today, including young forward Morgan Frost. GM Chuck Fletcher explained to reporters including Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic that Frost will undergo shoulder surgery and will be out “months,” perhaps even for the rest of the 2020-21 season. Prospect Wade Allison had ankle surgery and is still four to five weeks away, while Sean Couturier is still seven to ten days away from rejoining the lineup.
More than anything, it’s a tough blow for the 21-year-old Frost who still hasn’t established himself as a regular in the NHL after being the 27th overall pick in 2017. The undersized forward dominated the OHL in the two seasons following his draft and played in 20 games for the Flyers last season, but registered just seven points. He was scoreless in two contests this year, which could be the only two games he plays given the seriousness of his injury.
Frost is still under contract for next season, but now faces the very real possibility of heading into a 2022 offseason as a restricted free agent without much NHL time under his belt. While some may consider that a blessing for the Flyers, who will likely be able to re-sign the young forward for a relatively small amount, they would certainly rather have him playing and developing this season.
Allison, who was a second-round pick in 2016, is only just trying to get his professional career started after spending the last four seasons at Western Michigan University. The 6’2″ forward signed a two-year entry-level contract last March but hasn’t been able to play a game since his college career ended. Waiting another four or five weeks means he won’t get much time in the AHL this year, as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms already have only 38 games on the schedule that starts this weekend.
darn it