Oilers coach confirms worst case scenario with injury to new forward Trent Frederic
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The Edmonton Oilers first trade deadline deal this season was to bring in Bruins forward Trent Frederic, but it's looking less likely that he will be able to play before the playoffs.
When the Oilers initially dealt for Frederic, his return timeline was estimated to be between March 18-25. They're not beyond that timeline, and not close to a return yet.
Edmonton Oilers confirm Frederic is still multiple weeks away from debut
According to a new update from Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch after practice today, Frederic is still at multiple weeks away from joining the team for practice, and is trending towards a worst case scenario.
We are hopeful that he's going to be with us, maybe start practicing, within a week or two.
It was an injury that, I don't think there was an exact timeline when he was going to be coming back. I think there was best case scenarios and worst case scenarios, and we knew about worst case scenarios, and I think we're probably approaching that worst case scenario. No surprises.
- Coach Kris Knoblauch
It was an injury that, I don't think there was an exact timeline when he was going to be coming back. I think there was best case scenarios and worst case scenarios, and we knew about worst case scenarios, and I think we're probably approaching that worst case scenario. No surprises.
- Coach Kris Knoblauch
If Frederic doesn't join the Oilers for practice at least within the next two weeks, it's becoming possible that he may not play at all in the regular season. If he joins the team for practice in 2 weeks, they'll only be 4 games left for him to play in the regular season.
When the Oilers traded for Trent Frederic, reports emerged from NHL insider Chris Johnston that there was real skepticism that Frederic could play at all in the regular season.
That injury report is seeking to hold up now, which raises major questions about the trade in the first place.
The Oilers paid a premium in the three-way trade to get double salary retention on Trent Frederic, sending out Max Wanner, Shane LaChance, a second and a fourth round pick to get the Bruins forwards at a discount.
However, if Frederic misses the whole season, than the salary retention wasn't even needed for Edmonton - they could have placed him on LTIR.
Even if Frederic doesn't join return for the final four games of the season now, it definitely won't be an ideal situation. The Oilers obviously would've preferred him more time to ramp up and join the team, but that looks to be impossible now.
Frederic can still make this trade worth it though if he can join the Oilers and hit his stride quickly as a playoff contributor. If not, the Oilers will be looking to re-sign him to recoup value in the trade.
| POLL | ||
MARS 26 | 651 ANSWERS Oilers coach confirms worst case scenario with injury to new forward Trent Frederic Do you think the Oilers made a mistake to pay for extra retention on Frederic? | ||
| Yes | 453 | 69.6 % |
| No | 198 | 30.4 % |
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