Four games into his call-up with the Flyers, forward Morgan Frost is ready to ‘make a statement’ and stick with the club

With the conclusion of Flyers training camp in hindsight, forward Morgan Frost said it was the “right decision” for the front office to send him down to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to start the season.

After all, by Frost’s preseason debut on Sep. 30, more than 250 days had elapsed since his last game, in which he dislocated his left shoulder. Sixteen games with the Phantoms (three goals, 12 assists) helped Frost get “comfortable” again, paving the way to his call-up to the Flyers on Nov. 24 against the Florida Panthers with center Derick Brassard out injured.

Now, four games into his stint with the Flyers this season, Frost is ready to prove why he deserves to stick around.

“I obviously lost all of last year and I want to make a statement and most importantly, I just want to be an NHL player,” Frost said. “Whatever I can do to stay up here and hopefully solidify a role, I want to do and I’m willing to do.”

Over his four games with the Flyers, Frost’s role in the lineup has evolved. When the team first recalled Frost from the Phantoms, coach Alain Vigneault plugged him into the second-line center role once occupied by Brassard with wingers Joel Farabee and Cam Atkinson. Then, against the Rangers, Vigneault kicked Frost out to the left wing on the second line with Claude Giroux at center and Atkinson on the right wing.

In the last two days of practice, Vigneault shuffled the lines again, keeping Frost on the left wing and matching him up on the second line with center Kevin Hayes and right wing Travis Konecny. Frost has played with Konecny in the past, but Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning will mark Frost’s first time skating on a line with Hayes.

“He’s the best,” Frost said of Hayes. “I think it makes it easy to play with him. He’s always encouraging and positive and it’s a lot of fun to play with him, for sure. He can score, he can dish, and I think anyone you play with up here is an elite talent. But playing with Kevin and TK’s a really good opportunity for me.”

Frost scored his first goal of the season with the Flyers against the Rangers, finishing an opportunity he created when he carried the puck into the offensive zone. While Vigneault has been patient with Frost as he gets himself acclimated again to the pace of the game after a long layoff, he’s been impressed with his effort lately.

“I have liked, especially these last two practices, I thought if you’re watching practices closely from our end, you can tell [Frost] had a good step, good jump, hopefully he brings that tomorrow because we’re going to need it,” Vigneault said.

In the midst of their seven-game skid, the Flyers caught a breather with a three-day break in between games. Between Friday and Saturday, the team held two detail-oriented practices as they approach a daunting stretch in which they’ll play five games in seven nights.

The focuses of those practices ranged from battles low in the defensive zone to the power play. After a brief reset, Vigneault stressed the urgency of coming out of Sunday night’s game with a win.

“I feel good about where we are,” Vigneault said. “But doesn’t matter how I feel. Our players have got to go out and play and I’ve got to make sure that myself and my staff, we get them ready to play the right way.”

Goalie Carter Hart (.919 save percentage, 2.70 goals against average) will get the starting nod against the Lightning. ... Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy was expected to start Saturday night against the Boston Bruins, according to the Tampa Bay Times, indicating that backup Brian Elliott could start against his former team, the Flyers, on the second night of their back-to-back.