There’s a growing gap between what Edmonton Oilers fans want, what the team needs and what Trent Frederic can actually be as a player – and that gap is becoming harder to ignore. That became clear again on Saturday evening when the Oilers lost 3-2 to the Calgary Flames, and one analyst indicates that this should not be a surprise, because this is the kind of player Frederic has always been.
If that’s true, it’s not good news because the Oilers committed to Frederic for eight years, thinking he could be something he might not be.
About a recent episode of the Got Yer’ Back podcast, former NHLer Rob Brown couldn’t sugarcoat his assessment of Frederic’s time in Edmonton. The core problem, according to Brown, is not that there is an occasional effort or an occasional fight. It’s not his skating or a previous injury. It’s that Edge fans are hoping that Frederic will bring something, maybe it’s just not in his DNA.
Brown acknowledged that Frederic has occasionally gone the extra mile – most notably by fighting for Darnell Nurse and also by accepting a fight with the NHL’s best enforcer, Mathieu Olivier. He gave him credit for both, even as he suggested the Olivier fight probably wasn’t a good idea. But those moments are isolated. What Edmonton needs, especially on nights when opponents are in full agitator mode — like the Flames were on Saturday — is consistency. And that’s where Brown sees a problem.
Frederic is not built to be what the oil companies need
Both Ryan Rishaug and Jason Strudwick believe there is more to Frederic. Getting it out of him is and has been the challenge. Brown isn’t so sure.
“You don’t turn that kind of play on and off,” Brown explained, pointing to players like Ryan Lomberg, Adam Klapka or former Oilers like Evander Kane and Corey Perry. These players bring anxiety, competitiveness and discomfort to every shift because that’s who they are. It’s woven into how they play. Frédéric, on the other hand, comes across as a quieter winger who completes checks when available but doesn’t actively look for momentum-changing moments.
Brown says he saw the same type of player in Boston when Frederic was with the Bruins, so he’s not sure why the Oilers think this player can bring something different.
That matters. Edmonton didn’t make Frederic invisible most nights, standing out once every few games. Fans – and the team – were hoping for someone who was tough to play against on any shift. Instead, all three hosts agreed that Frederic is currently “very easy to play against.” Somehow he brought a different reputation than the Bruins, but in 50 games, Brown claims he’s never seen any sign that this type of play exists within Frederic.
Trust may be part of the problem. Brown suggested Frederic looks like a player who doesn’t have this, with pucks bouncing off his stick and decisions coming half a second late. It’s a huge problem that the Oilers haven’t seen any sustained evidence that the lead is coming.
That doesn’t mean Frederic can’t help this team. If he finds confidence and increases his competitiveness, he can still make a meaningful impact. But the biggest takeaway from Brown’s comments is a sobering one: the version of Trent Frederic fans are waiting for may not be who he really is.
Next: Three reasons why the Oilers’ scoring is actually sustainable
#Analyst #points #growing #concerns #surrounding #Trent #Frederic