Edmonton Oilers get three new players in complex three-team trade
The Edmonton Oilers have started their trade deadline week activity by adding some forward depth.
The club is acquiring forwards Max Jones and Trent Frederic from the Boston Bruins. They’re also getting prospect Petr Hauser from the New Jersey Devils, who are acting as a third party in the deal.
The Oilers are sending defenceman Maximus Wanner, the St. Louis Blues 2025 second-round pick, and their own 2026 fourth-round pick the other way to the Bruins.
Prospect Shane LaChance also goes from the Oilers to the Devils in the deal.
The Devils and Bruins are each retaining parts of Frederic’s $2.3 million cap hit in two separate trades. The Bruins are taking on 50 per cent and the Devils 25 per cent. This means that the Oilers are only paying 25 per cent of his total cap hit, or $575,000 pro-rated.
The full deal is as follows.
- To Oilers: Trent Frederic (75 per cent retained in total by Devils and Bruins), Max Jones, Petr Hauser
- To Bruins: Maximus Wanner, St. Louis Blues 2025 second-round pick, Edmonton Oilers 2026 fourth-round pick
- To Devils: Shane LaChance
Frederic has been a popular name in the rumour mill leading up to Friday’s trade deadline. The gritty two-way centre has 15 points in 57 games this season after scoring 40 last year. He’s a big presence that will add size and strength to the bottom-six.
The 27-year-old hurt himself in a recent game and has been described as “week-to-week.” There’s a chance that he might not be ready to play until the playoffs, per The Athletic’s Chris Johntson.
Welcome to Oil Country, Trent! 👊 #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/vMZn53A8zR
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 4, 2025
Jones is a 2016 first-round pick with 265 NHL games under his belt. He’s played seven games with the Bruins this season and is still looking for his first point. Despite spending most of this year in the AHL, he spent most of the past two seasons at the highest level with the Anaheim Ducks.
Jones and Frederic are listed as 6-foot-3 and bring additional size to the bottom of the Oilers forward group. Come playoff time, you can never have enough physical bodies to roll out.
Hauser, the prospect acquired by the Oilers in the deal, is unsigned and currently plays in Czechia. He was initially drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL draft by the Devils.
The Oilers didn’t surrender too much regarding assets in this deal. They gave up the two mid-round draft picks and two prospects in Wanner and LaChance.
Wanner was a seventh-round draft pick in 2021. The right-handed defenceman has two points in 21 AHL games this season with the Bakersfield Condors.
LaChance is another recent late-round draft pick, selected in the sixth round during the 2021 NHL draft. He’s got 10 goals and 25 points in 32 games with Boston University this season.
The Oilers have made their first deal of deadline season, but it may not be their last. With a few days left until Friday’s deadline, there’s still time for management to make further moves.