11:00 a.m.: Frederic’s eight-year deal is official and is worth $30.8MM, as reported, the team confirmed.
9:05 a.m.: As expected, the Oilers are set to finalize an eight-year extension for forward Trent Frederic on Friday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The total value will be in the $30MM range for an AAV and cap hit of just under $4MM. TSN’s Darren Dreger narrows it down to a $3.85MM AAV for a total value of $30.8MM.
It’s a big payday for a player whom Edmonton hasn’t had a lot of eyes on since they acquired him from the Bruins before the trade deadline. He was dealing with an ankle injury at the time of the deal, only to re-injure it in his first game as an Oiler on April 5. He was back two weeks later for the playoffs, where the gritty and versatile 6’3″ forward was limited to four points in 22 games while averaging 11:24 per game.
That makes such a long-term and well-compensated commitment for someone who played as limited a role as Frederic did in the postseason quite shocking. Edmonton is clearly signing this deal not based on the role he played but the role they anticipate him playing moving forward, though. They’ve already lost a top-nine winger this offseason by trading Evander Kane to the Canucks and could still be poised to lose another in an additional cap-clearing trade. They could also lose all of Connor Brown, Kasperi Kapanen, Corey Perry, and Jeff Skinner to the open market next week, gutting their wing depth.
As such, Frederic is slated for a significant increase in deployment next season, potentially as high as top-six duties on a line with Leon Draisaitl or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins down the middle, depending on which one more frequently flexes up to play on Connor McDavid’s wing. In doing so, the Oilers hope he’ll not only rediscover but exceed the offensive form he found during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons with Boston.
The 2016 first-rounder’s development was a slow burn, but he finally arrived as a legitimate top-nine piece in those years, totaling 71 points and a +37 rating in 161 games despite only averaging 12:51 per game. He posted a career-high 18 goals, 40 points, and 204 hits in all 82 games with Boston last year before experiencing significant offensive regression in 2024-25. Before the deal to Edmonton, Frederic managed an 8-7–15 scoring line with a -14 rating in 57 games for the B’s.
While that explains the cap hit, it will remain interesting to hear the organization’s rationale for doling out an eight-year contract for a player already in their peak years at age 27 with a relatively limited track record of middle-six production. Frederic will now be under contract with Edmonton through the 2032-33 season, his age-34 campaign.
The Oilers will be down to $12.35MM in cap space for next season after Frederic’s deal is registered. The overwhelming majority of that will be taken up by a new deal for RFA defenseman Evan Bouchard that’s expected to cost at least $10MM. That would leave the Oilers with around $2-3MM in space to fill two roster spots, enough to round out the roster but not to make any high-profile additions.
Not sure what the oilers saw that made them say he deserves an 8 year contract 😬
they are trying to maximize keeping the dollars lower on every contract by offering extra year(s) so they can penny pinch every last dollar for Connor.
that being said, not sure Connor is going to love the idea of Trent Frederic’s contract being on the books 5-6 years from now.
How Stan Nepotism Bowman continues to be a GM in the NHL is beyond me, But if Edmonton is stupid enough to hire him, Then they are getting what they deserve.
Smartest thing you’ve said 😂
Wow, wth lol! Way too much term. Way too much money. Not sure what they see in him. He wasn’t very good for them in the playoffs. Just another bad contract for the Oilers to wrestle with.
Good for Trent, but I really don’t know why the Oilers did this.
Yeah I was shocked when the rumors came out on the term. But the fact that he’s still getting 4mm cap hit at that length. I really don’t get it. They can obviously still get Bouch plus Perry in so fine for next year but this signing just makes no sense. Just ask NYI how these deals have gone for them.
@Gbear — Stan-the-man-without-a-plan. Looks like Jeff Jackson intends to start a Double-Decade of Darkness in EDM. And, this just in:
“And they thought I was nutso?”
— GMBT
We haven’t even gotten to free agency and already have a contender for dumbest contract of the offseason.
Woof. Four years at $3.8 million would have at least been semi-acceptable for a 3rd-line go-out-there-and-hit-that-guy forward, but EIGHT years?!?
Woof Paiement.
Liked him well enough but thank you Sweeney for not paying him this.
Did Bowman hear that 8 year offers were on the way out so he thought he better get a few more in before that happens?
This is a deal that won’t age well, I can see why Boston didn’t extend Trent.
7-8 year deals should only go to the McDavid’s and Bedard’s of the world. 2-4 years would be have been better imo.
He’s young and brings a bit of physical presence. $3.85mil/year isn’t bad for a mid 6 forward, is it?
It’s not the $3.85M that’s the problem…
Assuming he is a mid 6 forward, he struggled to cement his position as a 3rd liner on the Bruins who really aren’t a deep team.
A deal like this, the Nurse contract, the Draistaitl contract (a good one) and Bouchard needing a new contract… looks like McDavid isn’t going to be an Oiler past 2026.
He’ll sign before next season as there is zero reason for him to leave the Oilers.
Cup window is closing. Back to back Cup loses. Biggest reason to leave unless he just wants to play hockey, make money and most importantly have fun.
And YOU get an absurd contract, and YOU get an absurd contract, and YOU get an absurd contract, and YOU get an absurd contract, and YOU get an absurd contract!!
Edmonton & Trent Frederic wanted to continue doing business together moving forward but the term of a 8 year deal is pretty steep for a bottom six player. Even the AAV of $3.85M may be a bit on the high end for Frederic but that’s neither here nor there. This is a contract that probably won’t age well with that term in the deal.
Weird
What are you doing Bowman? We move out Kane’s contract to sign not McDavid, not Bouchard but Frederic to an 8 year deal???!!!
Didn’t realize Holland was still their GM
Wouldn’t getting a long term goalie been better use of that $? This deal will bite before long
Wow this guy didn’t do nothing in the playoff and he get a 8yr deal I think the gm crazy and delusional
Let’s be honest.. having McDavid and Draisaitl on the team his stats will be through the roof. I mean it’s easy to judge a player by his stats. There’s other things he does well other than scoring. He’s a gritty sandpaper guy. Stan Bowman is a good talent evaluator. He’s been around hockey his entire life. His dad is the legendary Scotty Bowman. You need those sandpaper guys to win.
This should have been either 4 mil x 2 years or 2.5 mil x 8. WTF?