It’s time for the Flyers to give youngsters like Cam York and Morgan Frost an extended look at the NHL-level
Frost and York are being developed with time in Lehigh Valley, where they can grow their confidence.
When Derick Brassard and Rasmus Ristolainen were sidelined for Saturday’s loss at Detroit, the Flyers had to make some decisions about who would fill the forward’s and the defenseman’s spots.
The Flyers called up Jackson Cates for Brassard, but instead of making another transaction, they went with Nick Seeler for Ristolainen.
There are now five forwards up from the AHL Phantoms, and none of them is Morgan Frost (who was out with an illness when they called up Cates). Two top defensemen are out, and the Flyers did not opt to have Cam York replace either one. Two hours after the Flyers made the transaction, York was injured in the Phantoms’ Friday night game.
When the Flyers sent Frost and York down ahead of the All-Star break, both were healthy and had been playing well at the NHL level. General manager Chuck Fletcher said Frost was getting “better and better,” and as a result, his line had been productive. York played on the first, second and third defensive pairings, and he showed he could compete in any role, Fletcher acknowledged.
Fletcher said minutes and usage were the main factors in his decision. With the Flyers, York was averaging almost 20 minutes a game in his first eight games. But that dropped after Jan. 20 when he was moved to the third pair, and he averaged just over 15 minutes in the next five games. Frost averaged almost 14 minutes in that time period, which was about the same amount he was averaging from Dec. 29-Jan. 20.
While with the Flyers, York and Frost had earned some time on the second power-play unit. But at Lehigh Valley, the two play on both the top power-play and penalty-kill units.
“It’s just about continuing to play, playing in all situations and developing,” Fletcher said. “If that’s up here, it’s fine, if it’s down there ... But where they are is just about developing with them.”
If it’s about giving them more time on the ice, can they do that with the Flyers?
Since Dec. 29, Frost has only played on the second line once. The rest of his time was spent on the third or fourth line. He only spent four games with linemates who were on the Flyers’ opening-night roster. In those four games, he had one goal and one assist. While Frost started to find rhythm with the third line, his style of play is more suited to playing with skilled guys on a higher line, which he hasn’t had the chance to do.
York is a smaller, more skilled defenseman. He has played on all three pairings and held his own on all of them. But all his points came when paired with a bigger defenseman on the first or second pair.
Bringing the two first-round draft choices back up would demonstrate an “iron sharpens iron” mentality. While more skilled linemates and partners would help bring out their talents, the steeper competition would force them to rise to the challenge and get them used to the speed and physicality of the game. But Fletcher said the confidence that can grow when playing down a level can be just as valuable.
If the Flyers move York and Frost up to higher pairs and lines, they risk suffering losses as they acclimate to their new roles. But how much does a loss mean this season? Unless the Flyers drastically turn things around starting with Tuesday’s road game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, they will not make the playoffs. They’ll be playing for pride, morale, and the future — and Fletcher said Frost and York are “very important parts of our future.” Meanwhile, those playing in place of York are older and not part of a long-term solution for the Flyers.
While the losses don’t mean much to the season’s results at this point, they do have an impact on the Flyers’ locker room. Interim coach Mike Yeo has admitted that these are tough times. And while the players have said they’ve shown a lot of character in powering through, they’ve also admitted their confidence has been shaken.
The Phantoms, meanwhile, went 4-2-2 in January. Unlike the Flyers, they got off to a rough start but turned it around in December when they went on a nine-game point streak (7-0-2). While the Flyers are now last in their division, the Phantoms are second-to-last in their division. They’re one point out of fifth place.
Despite their place in the standings, the turnaround in the Phantoms season has created a lighter locker room filled with hope. They are also currently cheering on Pat Nagle, the goalie who helped turn things around, as he competes in the Olympics. Phantoms coach Ian Laperriére said that while losing him makes things more difficult (they’ve gone 2-3 since he left at the end of January), seeing Nagle compete for Team USA has been an exciting, positive thing for the team.
“I think as December went on, we had very few regulation losses, were playing hard, were playing the right way,” Fletcher said. “It’s just a great learning and winning environment down there right now, which I think is very beneficial for those kids on that team.”