Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost return to Philly after trade with mixed emotions: ‘I think it will be a little weird’

It was a weird morning for Joel Farabee.

For six seasons, he would walk into the Wells Fargo Center through one door. On Tuesday morning, that door wasn’t available to him.

“Never done it as an away team,” Farabee said, decked out in red. “So coming in was a little strange, but I think it’ll be good. Obviously, before the game I think will be a little weird, but I think once the game starts, it’ll just be hockey as normal.”

Hockey as normal, except, he said with a chuckle, “just probably try to stay away from [Nick Seeler]. Don’t want him hitting me tonight.”

As the NHL trade deadline draws near and Flyers general manager Danny Brière contemplates his next steps, Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center will be a reminder of what the Flyers have already done to tweak their roster this season.

» READ MORE: Q&A: Flyers GM Danny Brière talks trade deadline, Scott Laughton’s future, and the team’s upcoming RFAs

Farabee and Morgan Frost, who had been with the Flyers since getting drafted in 2018 and 2017, respectively, were traded in the early hours of Jan. 31 to the Calgary Flames. Brière notified Farabee after the game in person, but Frost, who had left the Flyers’ loss to the New York Islanders early due to a migraine that impacted his vision, received a call at home.

“That was weird, how it happened like that, it’s definitely different,” Frost said. “I know Beezer was still at the rink, so he got to see some of the guys and say bye, and I was at home with the lights off, my head was hurting. Then I found that out, so it was a bit of a whirlwind.”

As the late Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip (Frost’s favorite band) would sing, the duo went “Somewhere we’re needed. Find somewhere to grow.”

“He’s an offensive guy. He’s got a great skill set, but I think he has the ability to be a dynamic centerman for us,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said of Frost. “Helped on the power play, helped with our entries, those types of things. Farabee has been kind of used in different situations, where he’s kind of moving himself into a little bit of a penalty-kill role for us, and a guy that’s going to play against the top line.”

After notching 201 points in 384 games for the Orange and Black, Farabee has one goal in 10 games with C of Red; Frost has three points in 10 games after collecting 135 in 278 games with the Flyers.

But each has fond memories of his time in Philly. Frost noted the tightness of the Flyers locker room — he and Farabee had dinner with some of their former teammates Monday night — and the Stadium Series game last year as lasting memories. For Farabee, there are a lot of favorite memories, but one night, which many in the area hold dear, stands out.

“Definitely a cool game I always think about was [Claude] Giroux’s 1,000th game. I think I scored the game-winner in that game, too,” said Farabee, who did score the 5-4 winner. “So I have a big framed picture of the team from that game, and that’s something I always remember. I think that year we weren’t very good, but I think that was the best crowd I ever played in front of was that game.”

Farabee and Frost live together in Calgary and drive a truck now. (“Life’s a little different,” said Farabee, a central New York native.) They should get a big welcome from the Flyers faithful.

But while the game will have some heartfelt moments, there are two big points on the line as each team vies for a playoff spot in its respective conference. It’s also a big night for the two guys the Flyers acquired from the Flames, Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier, who couldn’t hide his excitement to play his old team.

“I’m going to have a little more boost, a little more jump tomorrow. I don’t know if I’m going to chirp or not,” he told The Inquirer with a smile after Monday’s practice. “I’m just going be focused on the game and focused on winning because we’re kind of in the time frame where we need to win each game.”

For Pelletier, the trade was a bit tough because, like Farabee and Frost with the Flyers, he grew up in the Flames organization after being drafted in 2019. And like the ex-Flyers who saw some old pals on Monday, Pelletier met up with his former teammates, including Matt Coronato and Jonathan Huberdeau.

» READ MORE: What will the Flyers do ahead of the trade deadline? Here’s where Scott Laughton, Ramus Ristolainen, and others stand.

“He’s a guy that comes to the rink and smiles all the time, and is just a genuine guy,” Huberdeau said. “A guy that it’s fun to be around because I think he’s contagious with his good sense of humor and his energy. So I think it’s a guy that helps the room to be more positive, too. And you know, that’s why I think he’s going to do that with the Flyers as well.”

Pelletier, a pending restricted free agent, will get an opportunity with the Flyers to build his NHL resumé. Across his tenure with the Flames, he had 21 points in 61 games as he struggled to find a regular spot in the lineup. Pelletier already has notched an assist for the Flyers, a perfectly placed pass that froze the Pittsburgh Penguins defense and allowed Noah Cates to score in the team’s 6-1 win a week ago.

“I think he’s appreciative and understands the opportunity that’s in Philly for him,” Coronato said. “Every opportunity is going to come at a different time, but I think he knows how important it is to take advantage of this one. I think he definitely feels good to be wanted by the Flyers, too.”

Goalie Sam Ersson will start for the Flyers. ... Goalie Dustin Wolf, who is a leading contender for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie with Matvei Michkov, will start for the Flames. ... Forward Garnet Hathaway, a former Flame, will miss his second straight game after suffering an upper-body injury on a dirty hit by Pittsburgh Penguins forward Boko Imama.