Morgan Frost didn't have the final hurrah in Philadelphia that he'd like to remember.
As the Flyers were hosting the Islanders, Frost started experiencing vision issues because of a migraine. He was forced out of the game in the second period. Later that night, while working off the migraine, Frost received a phone call from general manager Danny Briere. He and Joel Farabee had been traded to the Flames.
"I was at home with the lights off, my head was hurting a bit and then I found that out, so it was a bit of a whirlwind," Frost said Tuesday morning from the visiting locker room at the Wells Fargo Center. "Danny called me, he had nice things to say. They did so much for me and they were great for me."
The abrupt goodbye and rush to Calgary, Alberta will perhaps make the return to Philadelphia much more memorable for Frost and Farabee. They'll face the Flyers on Tuesday a little over a month after being dealt to the Flames (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). They had dinner with some former teammates Monday and will see the fans tonight.
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"I think it's a trip that in the coming years I'll always look forward to, coming back here," Farabee said. "This is a team that took a chance and drafted me and believed in me. I have nothing but good things to say about this organization and it's a great building to play in."
Farabee and Frost were both first-round picks of the Flyers. For a while, they were seen as foundation pieces. Farabee had a 22-goal, 50-point career year last season and Frost eclipsed 40 points twice. But as the Flyers' rebuild picked up, doubt started to grow around their futures in Philadelphia. Eventually, the two forwards became change-of-scenery candidates.
Now they're living together and trying to help Calgary secure the Western Conference's second wild-card spot. The Flames entered Tuesday clinging to that spot by a tiebreaker over the Canucks.
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"A little extra here for Beezer and I probably," Frost said of tonight's game. "But I think where we are in the standings, every game is so big. It doesn't matter who you're playing, you want to get the win, so it's a big one."
And when you're playing Nick Seeler, knowing when he's on the ice can't hurt.
"Probably just try to stay away from Seels," Farabee joked. "Don't want him hitting me tonight."
On the night of the trade, Farabee was still at the arena when he heard the news from Briere. A bunch of the Flyers met that night at Owen Tippett's place to hang out and share some memories.
"Obviously emotional, you're losing two good friends," Travis Sanheim said a couple of days after the trade. "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."
Frost still has his car in Philadelphia and said it felt weird driving around the area Monday. But down the hall from the Flyers' locker room, he was able to smile when talking about his former team.
"Only great memories here and the guys are awesome," Frost said. "I've got some friends for life over there."
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