Flames Morgan Frost: Good Problem, Wrong Time

There is something a little funny about Morgan Frost's situation in Calgary. The Flames would probably like nothing more than to see Frost have a really good season. They need him to establish himself as a top-six centre, and there's plenty to like about his game. But the better Frost plays, the more complicated things could become for Calgary.

That's the problem. And it could be a very good one.

Frost has a chance to change the conversation.

Frost has one year left on his contract at $4.375 million, and he's heading into a season with a pretty big opportunity. He's expected to be Calgary's No. 1 centre at five-on-five, get time on the top power-play unit and likely see plenty of three-on-three overtime. If everything comes together, a 50-point season isn't unreasonable.

And if Frost gets there, the conversation changes. A few months ago, it might have been possible to imagine Calgary signing him to something like five or six years at $5 million or $6 million a season. That would still be a significant commitment, but it wouldn't be completely out of line with what the Flames might have expected.

Now the NHL's contract market looks a little different. The salary cap is rising, teams are paying young players earlier, and players are using their leverage. We've seen some remarkably large contracts handed out to players with relatively little NHL experience.

Frost won't be in that category. He'll be 28 when he reaches unrestricted free agency. But that's also part of his leverage. If he has a career year as a top-six centre, Calgary won't be the only team looking at him.

Calgary may have to decide before it wants to.

This is where I find the Frost situation interesting. The Flames could wait and see what happens. That's probably the sensible thing to do. But waiting also carries a price. Every good month Frost has could make the next contract more expensive.

And Calgary has to decide whether it wants to give a 28-year-old centre a long-term contract based on what he has already done, or what it believes he is about to become. That's not an easy call.

The Flames also have Matvei Gridin and Zayne Parekh coming toward new contracts, and both could become expensive if they take another step forward. Gridin could be coming off a big sophomore season, while Parekh could establish himself as a major offensive defenceman.

Suddenly, Calgary has several important contracts to consider. That's why Frost may be one of the more interesting stories to watch this season. The Flames need him to become the centre they hope he can be. They just have to be careful what that success costs them.