According to a new report, Trent Frederic from the Oilers is ready to make an impact on the team, and it doesn’t seem like his past injury is holding him back.
Forward could help the bottom-6
When you’re in the spotlight for not supporting your team captain, not scoring goals, being benched often, and having a long contract with a no-trade clause that the team would happily get rid of, you can only wish for good outcomes.
Is this the reason Frederic is taking less hits? Maybe. Given the lingering comments about how bad the high ankle sprain was, maybe it fits.
What I do know is that saying Frederic is not hitting enough contradicts his career stats.
3/3
— bcurlock (@bcurlock) February 7, 2026
This is the situation with Trent Frederic of the Oilers, who is in the first year of an eight-year contract with a salary cap hit of $3.85 million.
In fact, the Oilers have tried almost everything to get Frederic to perform better. After 55 games, he has only scored 2 goals and got 1 assist, with 51 shots on goal and a very low shooting percentage of 3.9%, which shows scoring is not his strong suit. So, what is he good at?
Trent can best help the Edmonton Oilers by being a tough player on the lower lines who can add grit and stand in front of the net, something the team really misses since Evander Kane left.
The good news is that, according to a source, Frederic’s speed is back to normal and he is performing at his best ever. If he wants to be a physical player, he needs to keep doing those things well, which he does when he is healthy.
On the ice, the focus for the coaches and management is to help him go from being a struggling player who struggles to score to a solid, physical player who can help kill penalties and make room for the team’s star players.
To boost his confidence, coach Knoblauch needs to find a way to make Frederic feel valuable, with a clear role that highlights his strengths.
With the Olympic break coming up, the Oilers have a chance to reset and show the rest of the league what they can do, just like they did the last two years.
This season, they’ve done it in parts, but not for a long time. In my view, the team should aim for this moving forward: staying consistent. You might be surprised by how much confidence comes from winning, and if there’s one thing Trent Frederic really needs right now, it’s confidence.
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