Craig Conroy held an immediate press conference after yesterday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks to speak about the blockbuster trade the Flames made with the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flames would be trading away Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2028 seventh-round pick to the Flyers for Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee.
Craig Conroy’s opening statement
In an immediate statement, Craig Conroy would say that “[Building teams] isn’t always easy, people always want something to happen really quick. We felt at this point, [the acquisition of Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee] is going to provide a huge bump in our lineup.” Conroy also emphasized the importance of getting a younger centre for this team which has been struggling for depth in that position since long before he took over. There have been rumours surrounding the Flames’ efforts to get a right-shot centre all year long. Conroy pointed out that while Morgan Frost is a left-shot, he checked all of the team’s other boxes.
“[Jakob Pelletier] has been here right from his draft year all the way through. He was emotional, I was emotional for him.”
Conroy would also talk about Joel Farabee, mentioning that “Farabee is a two-time 20-goal scorer who [plays with a lot of physicality]. We saw it here when he was going after [Martin Pospisil] the night we played Philly earlier on in the year.” He would finish off by just emphasizing how excited the team is by both Frost and Farabee but that they aren’t happy to lose who they had to give up to make it happen.
Conroy would state that “those are the hard parts of the job, the draft picks are the draft picks because we don’t know them but [Jakob Pelletier] has been here right from his draft year all the way through. He was emotional, I was emotional for him.” Conroy would emphasize that unfortunately, that is just part of his job, saying that “to get players, you have to give up players and that’s just what we had to do in this deal”.
Building something for the future
Craig Conroy would continue to speak on the culture he is trying to build in Calgary. He would say that:
“[The Calgary Flames] are trying to build something here and you’re trying to bring in the right people but it’s the [locker room] that’s doing it. These two guys coming in, they are excited and looking forward to it. They know that we are in a dogfight for that last playoff spot and it’s not going to be easy but they are excited for the opportunity to come and it’s a fresh start for them.”
Conroy would add that when he was looking at different trade options, he wanted to bring in young players. He wanted players that can continue to grow with the rest of the team and he thinks that both Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee fit that mold perfectly.
When asked why he made the move now, he would speak about how it’s just about “when you think the deal is right and makes sense for both sides. For [The Calgary Flames], you look at the schedule with the break coming up and I think the guys deserved a chance. To bring in [Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee], I hope it brings a bit of a spark to the team.”
Are the Flames done trading this season?
Craig Conroy would be asked if he believes the Calgary Flames are done trading now. He would state “I’m always trying to make the team better but I am really excited. I really do think this fills a couple holes that I have been trying to fill since the draft last year and it hasn’t been easy.” He would finish off by saying that it really just felt like the right time and that it worked out well for both teams. We’ll just have to wait and see if this is the move that pushes the Flames into a playoff spot.
On top of that, Conroy hinted at more strategic trades as well, specifically around being a third party to assist in some bigger cap-constrained trades that may arise before the deadline.
A good outcome for Calgary
At the end of the day, Conroy seemed quite pleased with the trade. He acknowledged the hard parts of the business—especially with having to trade Pelletier—while addressing how Frost and Farabee fit into the picture.
