The Oilers acquired Trent Frederic from Boston leading up to the trade deadline with an eye on bolstering their bottom six for the playoffs. A pending unrestricted free agent, it appears he could be sticking around in Edmonton a little longer. In today’s 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relays that word around the rink on Friday is that the forward might be sticking around for next season although an extension isn’t expected to be announced during the Stanley Cup Final.
The 27-year-old had a breakout year in 2023-24, notching 18 goals and 22 assists in 82 games with Boston while also chipping in with 204 hits. Considering he put up 17 goals and 31 points the year before, it looked like he had arrived as a key bottom-six piece for the Bruins while making his $2.3MM cap charge a team-friendly one.
But things didn’t go as well this season. His production dropped to just eight goals and seven assists in 57 games before the trade deadline but Edmonton liked his track record enough to send a second-round pick, a fourth-round selection, plus prospects Shane Lachance and Max Wanner in a three-team trade to acquire him at 75% retention along with winger Max Jones.
Frederic was injured at the time of the trade and had to wait nearly a month to make his Edmonton debut. It wasn’t a great one as he was injured once again after just 7:10 of playing time, keeping him out of the lineup for the rest of the regular season.
However, Frederic was cleared to return for the playoffs and he has played a regular role for them, playing in all 18 games thus far. His production in those outings has been limited to just one goal and three assists in 11:32 per night of action although he also has 66 hits. While he’s doing alright, he’s also not building back some of the value he may have lost during the regular season.
That makes the possibility of an extension look a little more palatable for the Oilers. They will have a little over $12MM in cap space this summer, per PuckPedia. However, a significant chunk of that will need to go to pending RFA Evan Bouchard. That won’t leave a lot of room to pay Frederic a price tag around what his value might be on the open market. But if he’s open to a short-term deal to try to rebuild some value and play on a contender, that might be enough to make something work between Frederic and the Oilers over the next few weeks.
He’s a plug. Let him walk.
I’m surprised. He hasn’t played much and when he has, he hasn’t been noticeable at all.