Major issue revealed with Trent Frederic may lead Oilers to consider other options
Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie - Imagn Images
According to an article by The Athletic, Oilers' forward Trent Frederic is still being impacted by an injury he incurred while playing with the Boston Bruins.
Frederic has been unable to deliver in either role.
His high-ankle sprain appears to be holding him back. NHL Edge had his max skating speed at 35.48 km/h one year ago, and it's at 34.06 this season. The Oilers no doubt hope he can deliver optimally in the postseason, but it's going to be a tough year for the veteran based on October and early November results.
That may mean a power winger who can score is the deadline priority.
- Allan Mitchell
His high-ankle sprain appears to be holding him back. NHL Edge had his max skating speed at 35.48 km/h one year ago, and it's at 34.06 this season. The Oilers no doubt hope he can deliver optimally in the postseason, but it's going to be a tough year for the veteran based on October and early November results.
That may mean a power winger who can score is the deadline priority.
- Allan Mitchell
Oilers' forward not delivering value on huge-contract
Of course, it doesn't help when a nagging ailment prevents you from being at your best, which begs the question of why he was signed by Edmonton to 8-years at $3.85M.
Last season, Frederic had been labouring under a high-ankle sprain, forcing him to miss weeks after his trade at the trade deadline. He then re-aggravated his ankle injury seconds into his first shift with his his new team, and did not return for the rest of the regular season.
This year, Frederic has played alongside McDavid and Draisaitl, but the trio did not gel. In fact, he's not delivered in any capacity with the Oilers this season, and has scored only one point, a goal, in 14 games.
According to EvolvingHockey, Frederic ranks below average in primary shot assists and HD passes, and is at league-average in terms of zone entries, and has also struggled when exiting the zone, which was also an issue when he played in Boston.
If Frederic were to be traded, his high salary could prevent the Oilers from getting full-value, and may have to absorb a portion of his $3.5M AAV.
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