Trent Frederic put on notice by Oilers insiders after Olympic break
Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Oilers-Insider Jason Gregor believes the Olympic break may be Trent Frederic's last opportunity to secure a roster spot and should use the Olympic break wisely.
I would treat this (Olympic break) as a training camp and I'm coming out of it like I wanna have a good start to the season.
Have the Oilers' video guys send me clips of 2023-24 from Boston, where I'm scoring goals. What am I doing in those games leading up to my goals...he's got his mojo, he's hitting, he's forechecking, he's scoring.
- Jason Gregor
Have the Oilers' video guys send me clips of 2023-24 from Boston, where I'm scoring goals. What am I doing in those games leading up to my goals...he's got his mojo, he's hitting, he's forechecking, he's scoring.
- Jason Gregor
Throughout this season, coach Knoblauch has repeatedly suggested that Frederic's lack of confidence was the reason for his ineffectiveness; that a temporary reset is what he needed.
He was a healthy scratch and hoped that would work, but his play continued to decline.
Now, it's not every season that a player gets the opportunity to reset over a long break. Edmonton's next game is February 25th. plenty of time to regroup.
To revive his season and justify Edmonton's sizeable investment in him, Frederic needs to focus on rediscovering his identity as a physical, two-way forward, and use this time to center himself, as if he were starting the season fresh.
Rather than trying to force offense, however, which Frederic did in Boston as a middle-six guy, he must focus on the other things he's done well and which he's quite capable of doing: hitting, cycling the puck, and winning battles, essentially building his confidence.
Frederic can also utilize his 6'3", 220-pound frame to become a reliable penalty killer, helping him to stay involved in games, even if his 5-on-5 scoring is dry.
While he briefly auditioned with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl early in the season, he has recently found more chemistry on a gritty fourth line alongside Curtis Lazar and Mattias Janmark.
Maintaining his role on this identity line can help him stay focused and engage, in particular in the playoffs, when more emphasis is placed on checking and staying within structure.
Also read on Edmonton Hockey Daily :
Top NHL insider reports Oilers “will look different” after Olympic break
Top NHL insider reports Oilers “will look different” after Olympic break