Oilers analyst suggest Trent Frederic could be parked in press box long-term
Photo credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
As a result of Trent Frederic's ineffectual play this season, one analyst believes the Oilers' forward should be benched indefinitely.
q>The solution isn't anything as drastic as a buyout, but sending Frederic to the press-box until his footspeed allows him to play something close to previous levels would seem a reasonable solution.
- Allan Mitchell
Effects of injury linger for ailing forward
When the Oilers' acquired Trent from the Bruins in March of 2025, he'd already suffered an injury, the reason he played in only one regular-season game last season.
This year, Frederic has struggled to not only produce, but play at the level he has in the past. It seems he hasn't fully recovered from the high-ankle sprain he suffered last winter with the Bruins.
And it's not just the eye test that shows he's a step behind the play.
According to NHL Edge, Trent has ranked in the bottom-half of the league for speed, compared to previous years, when he was quite a bit faster.
In 2022-23 Trent was in the 82nd percentile for speed; 2023-24 he was 78th; 2024-25 he was
less than 50th; and also less than 50th this year.
less than 50th; and also less than 50th this year.
That is a substantial drop that usually doesn't happen, unless not fully recovered from injury. Frederic is having difficulty keeping up with the play, and it shows in his stats.
Frederic is scoring 0.48 points per 60 at five-on-five with a 32 percent goal share this season, according to Natural Stat Trick.
And it hasn't only been this season that he's has trouble contributing. His numbers dropped quite a bit in in 2024-25, producing at only 1.03 points per hour, barely over replacement-level.
Also in 2024-25, Trent's shooting percentage was 6.5 %, considerably lower than the 10.3 % from the two years before that.
It's clear that he's not the same player and to expect that he'll return to pre-injury levels might be hopeful.
For a player with Trent Frederic's cap hit of $3.85M over 8-years, this could be problematic. His is only in his first year of the deal, which includes a no-movement clause.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 19 | 685 ANSWERS Oilers analyst suggest Trent Frederic could be parked in press box long-term Do you believe Trent Frederic can improve his play this season? | ||
| yes | 384 | 56.1 % |
| no | 301 | 43.9 % |
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