Flyers say goodbye to Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost after trade: ‘It’s the worst part of the game’
Farabee and Frost are set to make their Flames debuts on Saturday night. Coach John Tortorella said he plans to have a longer conversation with the two during the Four Nations break.

Jamie Drysdale knows a thing or two about surprising trades.
It was just over a year ago that the Flyers announced during a game that they were acquiring the young defenseman from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for then-top prospect Cutter Gauthier. Drysdale had just arrived in Nashville with the Ducks expecting to kick off a two-week road trip, and less than 24 hours later, he found himself in a new locker room in Philadelphia, his head spinning.
So when Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee were traded to the Calgary Flames on Friday in exchange for wingers Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier and two draft picks, Drysdale could relate to how the players involved were feeling.
“It’s the worst part of the game, to be honest,” Drysdale said. “[Farabee and Frost have] just been unbelievable since Day 1. I think the guys in this room have a really tight bond, and they’re a huge part of that. It’s definitely tough losing them, personality-wise, friend-wise.”
Flyers coach John Tortorella said after practice on Saturday that the loss of two close teammates may hurt now, but he doesn’t foresee it being a long-term issue in the locker room.
“They’re friends. They’re buddies. They drink beers together. They win some games and lose games together,” Tortorella said. “Frosty and Beezer have been here a long time, along with a number of other guys. So that’s the hard part, but athletes are resilient. They know when it’s time to do their job, they will do their job. So that doesn’t even cross my mind with this group.”
Following the trade announcement, defenseman Travis Sanheim was part of a group of Flyers who met with Farabee and Frost in downtown Philadelphia to hang out one last time before they headed to Calgary. He acknowledged that it was “part of the business,” but said it still was emotional.
“You’re losing two good friends,” Sanheim said. “There was about 10 of us down there that were having a couple beers with them, just going through some stories, and having some fun. And, obviously, having to say goodbye is the tough part.”
Tortorella said he spoke to Frost and Farabee by phone on Friday before they left for Calgary, but only briefly since they were busy making arrangements for the move. He plans to have a longer conversation with them once the dust has settled during the Four Nations break which starts Feb. 10, since he has “a few things [he] would like to talk to them about.”
Drysdale said the biggest thing that helped him after being traded was getting back into the groove of hockey. Farabee and Frost are set to make their Flames debuts on Saturday night against Detroit. Since the Flyers are off, Drysdale plans to tune into the game.
“Just getting into the team and getting into the flow and playing hockey right away, because that’s the only kind of constant,” Drysdale said. “Because everything else in your life is moving at a million miles an hour.”
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Kuzmenko and Pelletier will have to wait a bit longer for their Flyers debuts, however. The wingers were not in Voorhees for Saturday’s practice, and Flyers general manager Danny Brière said visa issues may delay them from playing until Tuesday against Utah. Kuzmenko is a Russia native, while Pelletier is Canadian.
Drysdale has already reached out to Pelletier, with whom he won a silver medal on Team Canada at the 2021 World Juniors.
“Just really happy, high energy. Everyone will like him, for sure,” Drysdale said. “... Works his butt off. He leaves it on the ice. He’s a really passionate player. So those are just good things that I remember from playing with him. And I’m sure it’s only developed more.”
Breakaways
The Flyers recalled defenseman Emil Andrae and center Jacob Gaucher from Lehigh Valley on Saturday. The Flyers signed Gaucher to an entry-level NHL contract in December, after he had previously spent the last three years in the organization between the ECHL and AHL. The undrafted 23-year-old is poised to make his NHL debut against Colorado on Sunday (3 p.m., ESPN+) with his family in attendance. “I worked all my life for this, and my family was a tremendous support for me, and it’ll be fun to see them in the stands,” Gaucher said. ... Owen Tippett (day to day, undisclosed injury) did not practice on Saturday. Tortorella said he will travel with the team to Colorado and Utah and get some treatment on the road but is doubtful to play against the Avalanche.