VOORHEES, N.J. — As each player skated through the decorative entrance for home-opening introductions, hearing cheers when their name got called, Morgan Frost stood off to the side in a dress shirt and suit jacket.
But a day after stomaching the healthy scratch on the Flyers' home opener, Frost didn't appear confused or overly disgruntled by John Tortorella's decision.
Instead, he was taking it in stride. Because Frost knows all too well how important a clear mind is to his effectiveness.
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"It sucks, obviously you don’t want to be standing on the bench for the introductions," Frost said Wednesday following practice. "It’s way too early in the year for me to let it bother me too much. When I start feeling that way, even off the ice, I think that affects my game on the ice. I’m just going to try to stay positive and keep cheering the boys on with a smile on my face."
The Flyers went on to blank the Canucks, 2-0, Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Frost was surprisingly not in the lineup as Tortorella sat the 24-year-old center in favor of prospects Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster.
The move was surprising because of the ground Frost had gained last season. He ranked fourth on the Flyers with 46 points, 41 of which came at even strength, the most on the club. From when the calendar turned to 2023, he led the Flyers in scoring with 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) over 45 games. He also had a team-high four points this preseason.
But Frost had a subpar showing on the team's season-opening two-game road trip last week, which cost him the home opener. The Flyers certainly have in-house competition at forward and on defense.
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“I didn’t play good the first two games, I think it’s as simple as that," Frost said. "There are guys pushing for spots here. You look at guys like Tyson and Bobby, I think they’ve played very well. I understand it. I need to play better.
"It’s only two games, I don’t think that’s my whole season, so I’m not going to get too worked up about it. I was happy to see the boys win last night. I’m going to stay positive."
In the Flyers' first two games, Frost wasn't a real threat offensively through 13:58 minutes per game.
"I didn’t feel like I was engaged enough, playing engaged enough," he said. "When I’m anticipating and moving my feet, that’s when I make plays. I don’t think I did good job of that the first few games."
The Flyers are looking for Frost to create scoring chances while playing a reliable 200-foot game.
“I’m not going to debate it publicly, I’m not going to fill your papers, Frosty just needs to play better," Tortorella said Wednesday. "I’ll give you this: Frosty I don’t think has played poorly, other people have just played better, so that’s a good thing.”
Is a two-game leash pretty short? Has Frost earned the right to play through any scoring struggles?
After last season, those are fair questions, ones the Flyers might have to ponder moving forward.
“That’s a tough one to answer," Frost said. "That’s something you’d have to ask Torts. I don’t think he really cares about what I did last year, to be honest. It sucks, it’s two games, sometimes it’s tough to start a season right away. But at this level, you need to do that. I didn’t play good the first two games and it is what it is.”
It’s uncertain if Frost will draw back into the lineup Thursday when the Flyers host the Oilers (7:30 p.m. ET/ESPN+, Hulu). The club didn’t run lines in practice Wednesday and were missing Owen Tippett, who had a maintenance day. Tortorella said he expects Tippett to play against Edmonton.
"I’ve had a ton of bumps in my road," Frost said. "I’ll be ready to go when I’m back in."
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