Edmonton Oilers talking max-term contract with Trent Frederic: report
The Edmonton Oilers were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Final less than 24 hours ago, but they are already getting back to work.
There will be a laundry list of to-do items for Oilers GM Stan Bowman this summer. Some major roster reconstruction is needed to get Edmonton over the hump, and there are also plenty of decisions to be made on pending UFAs and RFAs.
At the top of the list will be new contract extensions for Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard. However, it appears that the Oilers brass might be locking down another player to a long-term contract first.
The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson reported on Wednesday morning that the Oilers are talking to Trent Frederic about a potential eight-year contract extension.
“Oilers and free agent Trent Frederic talking about an eight-year contract,” Matheson posted on social media.
Oilers and free-agent Trent Frederic talking about an eight-year contract. Question is price point. He did not have productive playoff at all with four points but he still figures as third line forward. He is not top 6
— Jim Matheson (@jimmathesonnhl) June 18, 2025
It’s quite shocking that the Oilers would be considering giving a player who had just four playoff points a max-term contract after only appearing in a single regular-season game with the club.
He scored 18 goals and 40 points with the Boston Bruins in 2023-24 and had eight goals and 15 points in 57 games this season before getting injured.
Frederic most likely played through an injury throughout the playoffs, meaning that he could play to his fullest potential, but even then, it doesn’t make much sense. When healthy, the 27-year-old is a third-line energy guy who is good for maybe 10-15 goals a season. That isn’t the calibre of player you usually see getting eight-year contracts.
Add that to the injury concerns, and you have a contract that is already full of question marks before it’s even signed.
The only saving grace for such a long contract for a bottom-six player is that the cap hit is reduced as a result. Frederic’s current contract carries a $2.3 million cap hit, and the expectation is that he would get a raise on his next deal, though a longer term might keep it close to that number.
If a deal gets done between the Oilers and Frederic, it’ll most likely happen sooner rather than later, with NHL free agency set to open in less than two weeks on July 1.