It was almost like the cold weather waited for their arrival, wanting to welcome Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee to Calgary with an appropriately frigid blast of winter.
At least their new teammates were there to reassure them that the temperatures don’t always hover around -20 C.
“They were saying it was really nice right until the trade went down and then it started snowing,” Farabee said on Saturday morning, just hours before he was set to suit up for his first game with the Calgary Flames. “It’s definitely a little cooler than Philly but it’s a new start. I’m excited.”
Farabee and Frost were acquired by the Flames on Thursday night in a big trade that sent Jakob Pelletier, Andrei Kuzmenko and two draft picks to the Philadelphia Flyers.
At the morning skate on Saturday, Farabee and Frost were already skating with their new linemates and had met everyone around the Saddledome ahead of their evening game against the Detroit Red Wings.
It’s been a whirlwind 36 hours, to put it lightly, and arriving during the first real cold snap of the winter probably didn’t make things any easier.
Not that they mind.
“When we got off (the plane) last night, I was like ‘Wow’, “ Frost said. “I had a small pea coat on and a sweater, so yeah, it was cold. I don’t mind at all, though, I’m a Canadian guy. I’m excited.”
For both Frost, who hails from Aurora, Ont., and Farabee, of Cicero, N.Y., the trade represents an opportunity for a fresh start with a team that’s right in the playoff hunt. Who wouldn’t be excited by that?
A big part of the appeal of the deal for the Flames is that Frost is only 25 and Farabee is 24, so they’re young and their prime years should still be ahead of them. They can help this season, too, though.
Frost, a centre, was playing alongside Yegor Sharangovich and Martin Pospisil at Saturday’s morning skate, and his playmaking in the middle should blend nicely with his linemates. Frost has tallied 11 goals and 14 assists this season.
“Frost is a dynamic playmaking centre, is maybe the way I would describe him,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “When he has the puck on his stick a lot of good things happen. With Sharan on the wing, I think we’ve talked before, it allows him to leave the zone to try to push defence out and with Sharan being a shooter, hopefully they can find a little chemistry and connection together.
“On the other side with Marty, he knows his job. He’s going to be straight up and down the wing.”
The Flames clearly have high hopes for Farabee, too. A two-time 20-goal scorer, the team had him skating on the right-wing alongside Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau on their top line on Saturday morning.
Those two happen to be leading the Flames in points this season, with 36 for Huberdeau and 34 for Kadri heading into Saturday night’s action, so the newcomer should have every opportunity to add to the eight goals and 11 assists he has recorded this season.
“I was a little surprised, obviously two really good players,” Farabee said. “Hopefully, I can just get the puck to them. They’re guys that when they have the puck on their stick they’re dangerous, so just get in the corner and try to get them the puck.”
Given the opportunity in front of them, the cold that greeted their arrival in Calgary barely seemed to register for Frost and Farabee. Having a locker-room full of new teammates ready to greet them definitely helps with that sort of thing, as does a playoff push they’re eager to be a part of.
“It’s exciting for both of us,” Frost said. “Joel and I have been talking about it, and in the moment you’re obviously sad to leave your teammates you’ve been with and the group of guys. But at the same time I think both of us probably needed a fresh start anyways.
“We’re obviously in the hunt here and hopefully we can come in and give the team a boost.”