The Edmonton Oilers will be looking to be aggressive at the upcoming trade deadline in hopes of making a deep push into the postseason, and while their team has enough depth, they are expected to be buyers this time around. However, one of their current players, who is on a long-term contract, could be an X-factor when the NHL gets back underway after the Olympics are complete.
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Trent Frederic, who signed an eight-year contract that started this season, has struggled to find his footing since signing the new deal. He has proven to be an effective power forward in the past, but it seems as though he is still battling an injury or is lacking confidence as the season moves along.
Fans have been extremely critical of Frederic’s game this season, and while he hasn’t produced offensively, he has found a way to be useful in a depth role by playing more physically in the games leading up to the break. If he can find the scoring touch that he had with the Boston Bruins before he was traded, he could become a huge piece to another Oilers playoff run.
Frederic Should Eventually Find a Way
Frederic should be able to find a way to contribute positively, whether that be on the score sheet or in another way; he should eventually be able to figure out a way to help the Oilers win. When the Oilers first acquired Frederic, he was dealing with an injury that had kept him out of action, and he only ended up playing one regular-season game before the playoffs got underway.
When he got into games, fans immediately noticed that Frederic seemed to be a step behind and was a different player than what they had hoped for. For the most part, people chalked his performance up to dealing with the injury, and that he wasn’t fully healthy, so patience was at an all-time high, hoping he could bounce back if he extended with the Oilers.
This season, Frederic has struggled in a big way. He started game one on the first line following a strong training camp, and seemed to be trending toward a strong campaign. Unfortunately, he has since been stapled to the fourth line and has only scored two goals and added one assist for three points through 55 games.
Fans continued to wonder if Frederic was dealing with an injury, but as the season has moved along, it seems as though he is simply in a slump. He hasn’t fit into the Oilers’ system as well as everyone had hoped, and considering he still has eight seasons left on his contract, fans have already begun to discuss what a buyout would look like, even though he has an affordable $3.85 million cap hit on his deal that includes trade protection.
Thankfully, he has an affordable cap hit that justifies keeping him as a project and hoping he works out. If Frederic can continue to build on his strong performances heading into the Olympic break, he can become a strong contributor for the Oilers. It would be nice to see him get on the board offensively, but if he can’t, continuing to be a physical presence will help the team make a push for their first Stanley Cup since 1990.
As of the break, Frederic sits second on the Oilers, behind Vasily Podkolzin, in total hits, with 134.
Frederic is a solid player, and everyone goes through slumps. This has been a really tough season for him, but fans should be confident he can come back after the break, and finally show why the Oilers spent assets to acquire him in the first place, and extended him for so long.
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