Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy’s summer to-do list seems to be getting a bit shorter. On Wednesday afternoon, per multiple reports, the club has hammered out a new two year deal with centre Morgan Frost carrying a $4.375 million average annual value.

The deal was first reported by CHEK and The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal, with PuckPedia reporting the term.

The deal covers his final restricted free agent year and one year of potential unrestricted free agency. It’ll expire at the end of the 2026-27 season, at which point he would be 28 and eligible to become a UFA.

The 26-year-old Frost was a first-round selection by the Philadelphia Flyers back in 2017 after playing his junior hockey with the Soo Greyhounds. He went pro in 2019-20 and, after bouncing between the Flyers and their American Hockey League team, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, he became a full-time NHLer in 2022-23.

The Flames acquired Frost in late January, along with Joel Farabee, in a swap between the Flames and Flyers that sent Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2028 seventh-round pick to Philadelphia. He became a restricted free agent on July 1.

So there are two views on Frost: glass half full and glass half empty.

If you’re an optimistic type, you look at his three full NHL seasons, all played as a centre, and see things he can build on. His offensive production has ranged from 13 to 19 goals and from 37 to 46 points. Given that things in Philadelphia were a bit topsy-turvy during his tenure there and his role seemingly changed a bit, a couple seasons with the Flames could allow him to really cement himself into the team’s long-term plans.

If you’re a pessimistic type, you could argue that Frost has been pretty inconsistent offensively thus far – which is a fair criticism – and that a two year “show me” deal is probably necessary to figure out what the heck he is. Yes, things with the Flyers were a bit wonky, but that means that Frost is a 26-year-old mystery box at this point. Maybe he could become the middle-six centre that the Flames hope he can be. But his brief Flames tenure thus far – 12 points in 32 games – hasn’t done a ton to help him cement that spot in the roster quite yet. His contract is, in a sense, an audition for him.

But hey: he’s young, he’s a centre, and he’s signed for a couple years. By the time Frost’s deal is winding down, the Flames will hopefully know a lot more about him as a player… and potentially know if there’s anyone in the farm system that could potentially replace him, if it comes down to that.

With Frost signed, the Flames have five RFAs remaining: Connor Zary, Sam Morton, Rory Kerins, Yan Kuznetsov and Jeremie Poirier.

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