'Give The Team A Boost'

It’s been a whirlwind 36 or so hours for Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee.

They found out after their game Thursday night they'd been traded from the Flyers to the Flames, started packing up Friday, hopped a charter flight from Philly to Calgary later in the day, got into Calgary Friday night, and then hit the ice with their new teammates Saturday morning for the pregame skate before playing tonight against the visiting Red Wings. CLICK FOR TICKETS

Along the way, their new teammates reached out by text to welcome them, helping set the stage for a smooth transition for the pair into what is a tight-knit and supportive FLAMES dressing room.

“It’s exciting for both of us,” said Frost Saturday after the skate to a large throng of media. “Joel and I have been talking about it and you know, in the moment, you’re sad to leave your teammates that you’ve been with and group of guys but, at the same time, I think both of us probably needed a fresh start anyways.

“And, yeah, in the (playoff) hunt here and hopefully we can come in and give the team a boost.”

The deal was about the future as much as the present, the two young players bringing dynamic skill sets to a Flames team who enter the day in the second wild-card spot with their sights, as has been the case since training camp, firmly set on a ticket to the postseason dance.

Frost will skate on a line between Yegor Sharangovich and Martin Pospisil, and is excited for the potential with the trio.

“I know Sharangovich, skilled player, great shot,” said Frost. “Pospisil – I hated playing against him so be nice to have him on my side now and you know, I’ll try and get those guys the puck.

“I think that’s kind of my thing and hopefully we can create some chaos out there and put a couple in the net.”

Farabee was slotted in on the wing with Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri, a pretty sweet place to start your tenure with a new club.

“Yeah, I was a little surprised,” said Farabee. “Obviously two really good players, obviously been playing against them for a few years. Hopefully I can just get the puck to them.

“Obviously they are guys when they have the puck on their stick they are dangerous, so just get in the corner and get them the puck.”

Head coach Ryan Huska was asked about where he inserted each player in the lineup.

“He’s a good player, and we feel like when he’s playing with good players, he’s going to help us generate some offence,” he said of Farabee. “He’s strong on his stick - he’s a little bit like Coles - so we feel like what he can bring to the table has the potential to work with those other two guys.”

As for Frost, Huska praised his skill set and what he’s able to do on the ice.

“Frost is a dynamic, play-making centre, is maybe the way I could describe him,” said 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. With Sharan being a shooter, hopefully they can find a little chemistry and connection together. On the other side, Marty knows his job. He’s going to be straight up and down the wing, like he was with Huby and (Naz), and he’s going to have to try to create some space for those other two guys to make some plays, and then go to the net. It has the makings to be a good line, we’ll see how they do tonight.”

The head coach was also asked about where he sees them in terms of special teams, saying both will see powerplay time and Farabee could also be on the PK.

Frost was out with Kadri, Huberdeau, Matt Coronato, and MacKenzie Weegar on PP 1 during the morning skate, while Farabee worked with Sharangovich, Blake Coleman, Rasmus Andersson and Tyson Barrie on the second unit.

The key tonight will be for both players to go out and play their game, Huska and his staff mindful of not overloading them with too much information ahead of their debuts.

“It’s nothing really different for us,” said Huska. “There’s a lot for the guys coming in, because we try to give them the information that they need to have to play within our team, without giving them too much information. Because at the end of the day, we just want them to play.

"They’re good players, and we’re excited to have them in our lineup.”