As the Flyers skated off the ice Thursday night and headed to the locker room, they eventually saw the reports.
Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost were being traded. Suddenly, the two were no longer the Flyers' teammates.
They had just played their last game together.
"A tough night the other night," Travis Sanheim said Saturday. "You come off the ice and start seeing the rumors, guys are unsure. Two really good teammates, really good friends. I played with them their whole NHL careers, so I know them pretty well. I've built great relationships with both of them. Just a tough day, an unfortunate part of the business."
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Farabee and Frost were dealt to the Flames, a trade that was about the Flyers' offseason and rebuild. It was a surprising move for various reasons. It came over five weeks before the March 7 trade deadline. They were both moved in the same trade. And both were once thought of as pieces to the team's future considering their age, production and upside.
But in a rebuild, anything can happen and things can change.
"It's tough," Sean Couturier said. "Both of those guys were great in the locker room, good for our team, good friends to a lot of us. It's never easy to see guys traded, but I guess it's part of the business. We've got to move on, we got a good return and we've got to welcome the new guys, make them feel as comfortable as we can."
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The Flyers received wingers Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier, along with a 2025 second-round pick and 2028 seventh-round pick. Because of visa issues, both players might not be available until Tuesday when the Flyers visit the Utah Hockey Club (9 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
Farabee and Frost made their Flames debuts Saturday night. They went scoreless in a 3-1 loss to the Red Wings. They're going to get good opportunities on a team that's vying for the playoffs.
"I really think they're going to do great things in Calgary," Sanheim said. "Both young players that have got a lot to still do. I think their games are going to continue to grow and get better. I'm pushing for them."
Couturier echoed that sentiment.
"I think it's two guys that probably needed a little fresh start and have a lot of talent," he said. "I think they're going to get the chance to showcase that in Calgary."
John Tortorella was able to see Farabee briefly after the Flyers' 3-0 loss Thursday night to the Islanders. He caught up with both players on the phone Friday as they traveled to Calgary, Alberta. He wants to have longer conversations with them over the 4 Nations Face-Off break this month.
"I had a chance to talk to Joel just for a minute," Tortorella said, "there was a lot of emotion for Joel.
"There's always a human side to it, I like the two guys and so does that room there. But this is part of the game, I think everybody knows that. Bottom line, everybody knows it's part of the game."
A bunch of teammates met Farabee and Frost in the city Thursday night to hang out and wish them the best.
"Obviously emotional, you're losing two good friends," Sanheim said. "There was about 10 of us down there that were having a couple of beers with them, going through some stories and having some fun. And then obviously having to say goodbye is the tough part."
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