Two days after the four-player trade with the Calgary Flames that brought Jakob Pelletier and Andrei Kuzmenko to Philadelphia and sent Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee to Calgary, Flyers General Manager Daniel Briere discussed his thoughts on the deal on a video press conference on Saturday morning.
"It’s not an easy trade, believe me. It’s a really tough one,” Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said via Zoom on Saturday morning. “You’re shipping out two really quality (people) in Joel and Morgan...That’s the job that I have. I’m here to make the tough decisions, and that’s certainly one of them for me."
Here are four themes Briere discussed by way of explaining his rationale.
1. Cap flexibility
Frost is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this summer, one year away from unrestricted agent status. The Flyers faced a decision between a one-year deal that would walk the player directly into unrestricted free agency or a contract for multiple seasons that would pe-empt UFA status, which often entails a raise.
Frost has been a chronic slow starter in his NHL career to date. He's tended to struggle during Octobers and Novembers before picking up his performance over the last one-half to two-thirds of the season. The lack of a reasonably full season with Frost producing consistently was a significant factor in Briere's assessment.
Farabee, meanwhile, is signed for three more seasons at an average annual value of $5 million. Last season, Farabee appeared to be breaking through (40 points in the 50 games leading into the All-Star Break). However, he struggled significantly over the final 32 games of the 2023-24 season. This season, Farabee has only shown flashes of the form he had over the final four months of last season.
The Flames were willing to absorb Farabee's entire cap hit for the duration of the contact while, according to Briere, others clubs were leary about taking that same leap of faith.
Pelletier enters this summer as a restricted free agent. The Collective Bargaining Agreement spells out that a qualifying offer to a player at Pelletier's current salary level must be for at least 105 percent of his 2024-25 contract. However, it is unlikely that Pelletier's next contract would represent a huge increase in average annual value.
Kuzmenko, meanwhile, is an unresticted free agent come July 1, 2025. If he plays well, Briere said, the team may have interest in extending the relationship beyond this season. If not, there's no obligations beyond the current campaign.
Briere said that the organization may or may not seek to invest its expanded cap dollars (between the trade and an impending increase in the cap ceiling) this season. It may happen instead over the offseason. That remains to be seen based on what's available in the marketplace.
"It gives us some possibilities going into the offseason. It’s like cracking the door open a little bit. I wouldn’t say that it’s wide open. I’m not saying that this will be the year that we go out. It’s got to be the right player, or players, if we do decide to open up the checkbook and go after free agents. But it does crack the door open to some possibilities," Briere said.
2. Pelletier brings energy and competitiveness
Pelletier, who will turn 24 on March 7, was drafted by Calgary in the first round (26th overall). He lacks size (5-foot-9) but lacks nothing as far as energy and competitive drive. Several people in the organization, including Briere, have predicted that Pelletier will become a fan favorite with his high-octane style of play.
"We like the motor," Briere said. "We like his energy, his spunk."
Pelletier is a good skater. He also has playmaking upside on the wing. Pelletier is a pass-first style player -- he has seven assists in his 24 NHL games to date this season and recorded 16 helpers among his 19 AHL points earlier this season with the Calgary Wranglers.
3. Hoping Kuzmenko finds chemistry and previous form
Kuzmenko, who will turn 29 on February 4, posted four goals and 15 points in 37 games with the Flames this season. He has not yet been able to consistently regain the form he showed in his first NHL season. Back in 2022-23, as a member of the Vancouver Canucks, Kuzmenko compiled 39 goals and 74 points while dressing in 81 of the season's 82 games.
Last season, after coming over from the Canucks to the Flames, Kuzmenko appeared to be getting back on track. It is notable, however, that he managed 14 goals and 25 points in that span. Kuzmenko posted eight goals and 21 points in 43 games for Vancouver before going to Calgary in the Elias Lindholm deal.
Briere said on Saturday that he believes Kuzmenko is capable of producing for the Flyers if he gets back on top of his game. He also hopes that the left winger can find chemistry with his new teammates. A few years ago in the KHL, Kuzmenko and Matvei Michkov (then 16 years old) were teammates on SKA St. Petersburg.
4. Opportunities for other players
In the short term, the Flyers want to take an ongoing look at recent callup Rodrigo Abols. On Saturday, the Flyers also called up fellow center Jacob Gaucher from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
"We’re excited about Jake Gaucher. This really is a wonderful story. He was never drafted, we signed him on an AHL deal, and he played for Reading in the ECHL. He really played big-time minutes (and) scored a big goal in the playoffs for Lehigh Valley. He’s just proved to be one of our better players in the first half of the season in Lehigh Valley. He’s a big center who just keeps getting better," Briere said.