Oilers 2025-26 Report Cards: Trent Frederic

As the offseason rolls on, so do the Edmonton Oilers’ player grades. The last report card was given to Connor Murphy, and now we turn our attention to Trent Frederic.

The Oilers acquired Frederic at the 2025 Trade Deadline from the Boston Bruins in a three-team deal, which also included the New Jersey Devils. When he was acquired, he was recovering from a high-ankle sprain suffered in February. He only played seven regular-season minutes with Edmonton that season before re-aggravating that injury. He returned in the playoffs but was ineffective.

He wasn’t good since his acquisition, but somehow, general manager Stan Bowman thought it was a good idea to give him an eight-year contract extension with a $3.85 million cap hit. Injuries limited his ability in 2024-25, but he came into training camp fully healthy this season. That didn’t matter as he still struggled mightily. As a result, the organization has another terrible contract on the books. Let’s take a deeper look at his lacklustre season.

2025-26 Performance

Frederic finished the season with four goals and seven points in 74 games with a minus-15 rating, averaging 11:02 per game. He was also held pointless in four playoff games and was a minus-3. He had a terrible turnover in overtime of Game 4 against the Anaheim Ducks, which led to the game-winning goal. That was his last shift of the series, as he was healthy-scratched for the final two games.

The 28-year-old scored 17 goals in 2022-23 and 18 goals the following season with the Bruins. Unfortunately, that offence hasn’t translated to Edmonton. He has struggled to fit in and find a role on this team. He started the campaign on the top line alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but that was short-lived. He’s not a top-line player, and he wasn’t put in a position to succeed.

Frederic was brought in to provide energy and physicality while also adding some offence. However, he hasn’t provided nearly enough of either. He was second on the team in hits with 193, 49 behind Vasily Podkolzin. His physicality was evident in spurts, but that didn’t translate to sustained offensive zone time. The puck often died on his stick, and he wasn’t able to make plays. That was the main reason why he was quickly removed from the top six.

His underlying numbers weren’t good when he was on the ice at 5-on-5. The Oilers only had 36 percent of the goals and 46.34 percent of the scoring chances. He also had 35 giveaways and only nine takeaways, which was the largest gap of his career. We cannot use injuries as an excuse this time.

Frederic’s a Fourth-Line Player

It’s time to accept the fact that Frederic is just an overpaid fourth-line winger on this team. That’s his ceiling, and he should remain there. Head coach Kris Knoblauch moved him up and down the lineup to get him going, but that didn’t work. He couldn’t find a role because one game he was in the top six, and the next game he was playing nine minutes on the fourth line. His role needs to be established by training camp and not change.

He looked to have developed chemistry with new linemates near the end of the season. Frederic, Josh Samanski, and Colton Dach were a solid trio, and that should be Edmonton’s fourth line next season. That line had an identity and provided energy. Frederic and Dach are physical forces, and Samanski is the defensively responsible centre. They complement each other and can wear down opponents with physicality and a strong forecheck. Hopefully, with the right linemates, Frederic can find his game.

Overall Grade

This was a forgettable season for Frederic. He was awful, and he can’t be any worse, can he? Therefore, he gets an F after getting a C last season. Considering his production, what he brought to the table, and his contract, this was a failure of a campaign.

If the Oilers are going to bounce back next season, the bottom six need to be impactful contributors, and Frederic is the cornerstone of that. He needs to be much better, or else the next seven years of his contract will be agonizing.

Keep following The Hockey Writers as we continue the Oilers’ player report cards throughout the offseason.

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