Photo Credit: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
All good things must come to an end, and for Morgan Frost this will be the last time he is sent back to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. That’s how much skill and determination this young man has for the sport of hockey. Unfortunately, Frost just needs a bit more time to fine tune his game to handle the rigors of an 82 game season, and become more consistent at the NHL level.
One of the reasons Morgan Frost was sent back to Lehigh was to build confidence originally, “I think having him go down to Lehigh Valley and play, play a lot and play every situation for Lappy will benefit him,” Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher said. “Allow him to get his timing back and his confidence back. The next time you see him, he’ll be a vastly improved player.”
However, this time he was sent back due to adequate saying time Mike Yeo indicated last week as to why Frost wasn’t in the lineup with Derick Brassard returning from injury. Frost was assertive with his decision making at times, and other times not so much. He has been very inconsistent in this area, and that is one reason maybe Mike Yeo had a lengthy conversation with him at times in practice.
The good thing was Frost was gelling on the Power Play. Yeo gave Frost a vote of confidence following what would be Frost’s last game last Tuesday. Mike Yeo said that Frost did some good things with the man advantage.
He was making nice crisp tape to tape passes, and doing exactly what Fletcher wanted to see offensively and defensively while driving the play up the ice earlier with his original recall, “I think we wanted to give Morgan every opportunity to show what he could do,” Fletcher said earlier in the season. “We played him with good player. We played him in important situations. I think the best thing for him long term is to play and play in an environment where he can get his confidence. It’s the best thing for him. It’s the best thing for us. We went into it in good faith and wanted to give him that opportunity.”
The truth of the matter is Frost hasn’t forced their decision to say “Yes he should definitely be in the lineup when healthy bodies return,” rather he is forcing the Flyers do the exact opposite, as no spot in lineup is guaranteed. At times he’s noticeable, and other times not so much. He was making the most with a line made up of AHL’ers, to include Gerry Mayhew and Max Willman. This is not a knock on his linemates as this would easily be a top line for the Phantoms, but if the Flyers wanted Frost to succeed, then place in situations to succeed with a line made up of NHL’ers for instance.
This lack of success production wise is blamed on the front office and coaching staff. They are asking Frost to different things, for instance, defensively as opposed to his offensive instincts. This has actually made him more confused in the end, so going back to the Phantoms with Ian Laperrière makes sense, although the Flyers are letting him down growth and developmental wise.
Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store
