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One of the reasons Morgan Frost was sent back to Lehigh was to build confidence, “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.”
Frost has been 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 yesterday at practice.
Following yesterday’s practice Yeo said he had a talk with Morgan Frost about being/staying in the lineup when Sean Couturier and others return to the lineup. Yeo said Frost should push more to force them to keep him in the lineup.
His defense has been better for the most part and it has been in years past, although there are times he is caught puck watching. Frost at times is having difficulty driving to play up the ice, and making clean passes, thus turning the puck over with an odd man rush going the other way. I don’t know if he’s still trying to find a rhythm due to missing a year of developmental time with his prior injury,
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. “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. Unfortunately, he has for me very inconsistent, and as a young player consistency is the most important quality to pertain.
This lack of success cannot be blamed on the Flyers coaching staff, to include former Head Coach Alain Vigneault as he did pair Frost with Claude Giroux at times before he was ultimately terminated.
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Let’s hope Frost is able to figure things out, while others continue to try to get healthy. Frost does have some time, as Sean Couturier continues to rehab but not skate, while Kevin Hayes remains out for three to four weeks.
