There’s been some good and bad in the first quarter of the Edmonton Oilers’ season. As the team hovers around .500, they’re looking for a spark from certain players. Trent Frederic is one of the guys who has dealt with the most criticism and has eyes on him to ramp things up. It’s been slow-moving, but fans shouldn’t give up on the young forward.
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Frederic joined the team at the trade deadline this past March. His role as a strong two-way player hasn’t really shone through the way either side has hoped, but the team has shown faith. They signed him to an eight-year deal and put him out there each night. And there’s much more that should give fans hope for his future in Edmonton.
Frederic Has Shown Promise Lately
The stats for Frederic as of late prove he is showing up. He scored the lone goal in the team’s recent loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, ending a 19-game scoreless streak. He has also shown up on the scoresheet with a pair of fights in the past couple of weeks (if you count the attempt to drop the gloves with Florida Panthers’ A.J. Greer). He has also thrown his weight around more noticeably lately, placing him second on the team in hits.
Frederic is starting to show the toughness Oilers fans have been longing for and is settling into his role on this team. With the roster shakeup and starting the season on a new team, it likely took him a minute to figure out where he would fit in. I believe he’s got it now, and hopefully it only improves from here.
Frederic Has Broken Out Before
This wouldn’t be the first time Frederic started slow and (hopefully) got hot. Looking at his career-high 40-point campaign in 2023-24 with the Boston Bruins, there’s an interesting takeaway. Through the first two months of that season, Frederic had just five goals and nine total points. He was quiet out there, as he was early for the Oilers.
When the calendar turned to December, however, Frederic found new life. 31 of his points that year were from December to mid-April. He was threatening on offense and dropping the gloves from time to time as well. Boston unfortunately fell in Round 2 of the playoffs that season, but Frederic was important for them in that postseason as well.
That spark he found a couple seasons ago with the Bruins can be dug up again. With all the offensive talent and coaching he’s surrounded with, there’s time to right the ship.
Connor Brown 2.0
While they aren’t the same player, I’m seeing a similar story develop. Oilers fans remember Connor Brown, who was with the team the past two seasons. Of course, we all remember the infamous 55-game goal drought for Brown in year one with the team. The Oilers and their fans never lost faith in him, and it paid off big time in the long run. He was a massive piece of the last two playoff runs and had some iconic moments. Frederic can be that same guy, just in a different way.
Both guys play a hard-hitting, rugged style of hockey. When they’re at their best, they are beloved by their teams as guys who drive the net hard and never give up on the play. They also easily become favourites among the fans when effort is put forth. I think Frederic has a chance to become that and more, especially with eight years in front of him in a city that lives and dies by its hockey team.
Frederic is still a young player who is tough and handles the puck well. He commits minimal turnovers, and if he can really find his scoring touch to go hand-in-hand with the other stuff, he could be important to this team for a while.
Don’t give up on the kid just yet.
