Oilers coach directly calls out Trent Frederic with harsh reality after 8 year contract
Photo credit: Brad Penner - Imagn Images
According to recent comments made by his own coach, Oilers' forward Trent Frederic is not happy with his own play, which Knoblauch says needs to be more physical.
Forward brought-in for tenacity and aggression
I'm trying to check my way out of it. Fighting stuff comes. You can only ask so many guys when you have 1 goal in 15 games, no one's going to fight you. I'd do the same thing. Who wants to fight a guy with 1 goal in 15 games? I wouldn't.
It makes it difficult when you're sitting there. It's a lot of game time, but a lot of actual time. It's not the easiest. It's part of it, you have to figure out a way to be effective.
- Trent Frederic
It makes it difficult when you're sitting there. It's a lot of game time, but a lot of actual time. It's not the easiest. It's part of it, you have to figure out a way to be effective.
- Trent Frederic
I suppose when you're not producing and hitting, you'll try anything to kick-start the machinery, including the occasional fight. And when that fails, then you're in real trouble, on the bench without a role.
That is where Trent Frederic is with his Edmonton Oilers, whose game this season has been horrendous, despite starting the year on a line with McDavid and Draisaitl; but that failed.
Lately, he's played as a bottom-six winger; but that has failed also.
Some of Frederic's, and many of the team's difficulties, can be attributed to Kris Knoblauch's shuffling of his lines and coaching style, which has failed to produce any amount of chemistry and effectiveness.
And while Frederic is coming off a high-ankle sprain, which can account for some of his lack of game this year, the problem existed well before he arrived in Edmonton.
Fact is, he was never really that great a player; at least not one worth $3.85M over 8-years.
Even if Frederic were performing at his best, like when he was with his old team Boston with an on-ice shooting percentage of 8%, he would only account for an additional two goals, bringing his hypothetical total this year to 3G in 16 games.
Point is, Trent Frederic was never going to bring the Oilers any value beyond 4th-line minutes, and even then, only as a checking forward.
TRENDING NOW
