Edmonton Oilers teammates give huge props to Frederic after heavyweight fight
Trent Frederic was called out for his lack of physicality over the weekend, and he responded in Monday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
After inking an eight-year extension with the Oilers over the summer, the 27-year-old has not had a great start to the season. He has just a single goal (his only point) in 17 games and has not provided much in the way of physicality, despite that being a big part of his identity when he was traded to Edmonton last season.
The media called him out for it, and that was followed by head coach Kris Knoblauch doing the same. In an effort to get things back on track, Frederic wasted no time in trying to get engaged on Monday night.
He skated up to Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier, perhaps one of the best fighters in the entire league, and dropped the gloves in a heavyweight tilt. It didn’t go quite as planned, as Frederic was easily outmatched and got fed by the veteran fighter, but it was enough to spark his team.
Connor McDavid commended Frederic for giving the Oilers the energy needed to pull out a dramatic 5-4 OT victory.
“It starts with Freddy. Freddy with a big fight there, going up against a real big man,” McDavid said. “Didn’t need to do that. Got our group going, I thought. A lot of credit to him, honestly.”
Trent Frederic fights Mathieu Olivier after being called out for not being physical enough 👀 pic.twitter.com/CeO3MHCzzx
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 11, 2025
The Oilers would find themselves down 3-1 in the second period after this fight, so the effects of the tilt were not immediate. Still, everyone who talked to the media post-game was quick to mention the importance of the Frederic fight.
Jake Walman notched two goals and an assist on the night, but gave massive props to Frederic for setting the tone.
“I got to give a huge shoutout to Freddy,” Walman said. “That was a tough opponent, big boy, and there are very few guys who would do that sort of thing and step up for this team, and I’m proud of him for that.”
Frederic is an experienced fighter in the NHL, with this being his 28th tilt in the league, so he is no slouch when it comes to dropping the gloves. His opponent just so happened to be the most feared fighter in the league.
Moving forward, Frederic will likely want to score more goals than fists to the face, but this one went a long way in helping carve out a role and identity for him on this Oilers roster.