The Edmonton Oilers have been preaching about finding value contracts to keep the team competitive. With Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard all making over $10 million per year, finding valuable contracts will be critical to this team’s best chance at winning the Stanley Cup.
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Like every team, the Oilers have some less-than-ideal contracts. The most discussed one is Darnell Nurse, who has an annual salary of $9.25 million. Still, Nurse has been a positive impact player for the Oilers, albeit not to the extent of his salary. Still, a bad contract wouldn’t be the end of the world, but unfortunately for the Oilers, they just recently handed out another contract that looked like a complete disaster.
Frederick is not an eight-year player
Heading into the 2025 trade deadline, the Oilers knew they wanted an early raise but had very limited cap space. They eventually reached a deal with the Boston Bruins to get Trent Frederic, a player known for his physical prowess who can help the team with some assist scoring. That said, he’s considered a bottom-six forward.
Frederic didn’t make his Oilers debut until well after the trade due to a high ankle sprain. Upon his return, he only played a few shifts before he was injured again and was sidelined for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
Frederic was able to return in the playoffs, but he seemed far from 100 percent. He ended the postseason with a very disappointing goal and four points. Still, he gets the nod from the vast majority of Oilers fans, who all know his ankle still appears to be an issue. There are even many fans who believe in the value of extending him. That is, at least until they see the expansion itself.
Just days before free agency was set to begin, the Oilers shocked the hockey world by announcing they had re-signed Frederic to an eight-year, $30.8 million contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $3.85 million. To some, the AAV seemed a bit steep, although the eight-year term left everyone stunned. That seems like a huge price to pay for a player who has never scored 20 goals and only reached the 40-point mark once.
The deal was immediately viewed as one that could seriously aging the Oilers, though there’s at least a little optimism early on that he could provide some solid secondary offense if he gets a chance to play alongside the likes of McDavid or Draisaitl.
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Instead, Frederic played a bottom-six role in 15 games and was arguably the least impactful player on the roster. He scored just one goal, the lowest total of any Oilers player who appeared in all 15 games. He also shot just 15 times while averaging just under 13 minutes per game. To his credit, he maintained his physical presence with 46 hits, but other than that, he’s been frustratingly quiet.
Oilers have no choice but to throw Frederick out
The Oilers front office may be frustrated with Frederic’s start to the season, but they only have themselves to blame. Offering contracts of up to eight years to forwards in the bottom six is a recipe for disaster, as they have learned the hard way. With his contract containing a full no-movement clause, there’s not much the Oilers front office or coaching staff can do but continue to throw him on the ice and hope he finds a way to extricate himself.
