Trade activity is ramping up around the NHL, and on Thursday night, we saw the Calgary Flames make a move that gave their middle six forward group a big boost.

During the Flames’ 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that the Flames were working on a trade involving former Vancouver Canucks forward Andrei Kuzmenko. Kuzmenko was held out of the lineup for Thursday night’s game.

The full trade came down nearly two hours later and saw Calgary acquire Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2028 seventh-round pick.

Kuzmenko, 28, heads to Philadelphia for what will be his third stop in the NHL since originally signing with the Canucks out of the KHL for the 2022-23 season. Kuzmenko scored 39 goals with the Canucks in his rookie season, but fell out of favour with head coach Rick Tocchet the following season thanks to his lack of ability away from the puck.

After putting up 74 points through 81 games with the Canucks in year one, Kuzmenko tallied just eight goals and 13 assists through 43 games the following season before being traded to the Calgary Flames in the Elias Lindholm trade. Unfortunately for Kuzmenko, it was a similar story in Calgary. After finishing last season with 25 points in 29 games with the Flames, Kuzmenko has scored just four goals and picked up 11 assists through 37 games. His minutes were being limited, and he’s been a healthy scratch numerous times this season.

Kuzmenko is in the final year of the two-year deal the Canucks signed him to in his rookie year. The contract carries a $5.5 million annual average value. He now heads to Philadelphia, where he’ll have John Tortorella as his coach.

As for the pieces coming back to the Flames, most fans seem enthused about the deal, which reads like a conservative buyer’s move. The Flames have shocked many this season — perhaps even themselves — and are right in the thick of the playoff hunt as we head into February. To add Frost and Farabee while not giving up consequential futures is tidy work by the Flames’ front office.

This trade no doubt makes the Flames better this season, and they didn’t have to mortgage the future to pull it off.

What are your thoughts on this deal? Let us know in the comments section below!