What does a successful 2025-26 season look like for Oilers’ Trent Frederic?

In saying that, the power forward has a lot more to give because you don’t lose the hands he showed in the 2023-24 season within a year, which is why I truly believe the injury hampered his production. Additionally, I previously wrote earlier in the summer that players of his ilk, big power-forward types, tend to hit their prime right around the age of 28, which Frederic turns in February. Former Oiler Pat Maroon, who played in Edmonton from 2015 to 2018, had his best season at age 28 when he scored a career-high 27 goals, and another former Oiler, Zack Kassian, also scored a career-high 15 goals at age 28.

On the other hand, while I’m tempted to predict Frederic will break the 20-goal plateau and 40-point plateau, recency bias from last season’s lower outputs by players like Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, who were new to the team, makes me tread carefully.

For Frederic’s first full season in the City of Champions, a successful campaign would be putting up at least 35 points (16G, 19A). That’s a conservative estimate, and a top-six opportunity could push his totals even higher. Having said that, at some point during his contract, as he settles in more in Edmonton, Frederic will need to hit the 45-point mark at least a couple of times to back up the big payday.

Frederic Should Show His Versatility, Play Down the Middle and Earn PK Minutes

Last playoffs, we saw the big forward play mostly in the bottom six on the wing, yet when envisioning where he’ll play in the future, I can’t help but think of what he said in his year-end media availability, saying, “I would love to play more center.” I also feel that reflects the Oilers’ intentions for him to eventually play down the middle, especially as GM Stan Bowman noted when discussing qualities he liked in Frederic upon locking him up long-term, “He’s also got the versatility of playing center and wing.”

Adding to a successful campaign for Frederic will be showing his versatility up front — I’d like to see what he can do if given a chance to play center, a spot where he saw reps during his time with the Bruins.

While Adam Henrique held down the 3C spot for most of last season, the 35-year-old looked like he had lost a step, as NHL Edge data had him topping out at 21.08 MPH in the playoffs, below the league median. Frederic, meanwhile, hit 22.33 MPH last spring, and his peak speed in recent seasons was 22.92 MPH, ranking in the 91st percentile league-wide. The numbers suggest that, when healthy, Frederic has the skating ability to handle a role at center, in addition to playing on the wing, and I’d like to see at some point what he can do in the 3C spot this upcoming season.

Another box he could check to contribute to a successful campaign is earning a spot on the Oilers’ special teams, specifically the penalty kill. With Connor Brown now in New Jersey, after leading all Oilers forwards in shorthanded minutes last season (125:51), an opportunity has opened up. Frederic’s experience on the PK (51:33 minutes in 2023-24) puts him in a good position to claim a spot on the unit and showcase his overall versatility.

Frederic Will Need to Set the Physical Tone, Being Among the Leaders in Fights and Hits

Fighting may be trending down in the NHL, but scraps still break out when things get heated. Without a designated enforcer on the Oilers’ roster, and with those types of players few and far between these days, Frederic becomes the guy to answer the bell for Edmonton.

The 6-foot-3, 221-pounder has been in 42 fights between the AHL and NHL, and as mentioned, we saw a sample of his ability to throw fists when he took on a heavy combatant last May, the 6-foot-6 Nicolas Hague, in a lengthy bout.

This upcoming season, with scrappy players like Evander Kane and Corey Perry — who led the Oilers last season with five fights — and with rookies like Isaac Howard and Matt Savoie looking to make an impact, the Oilers will lean more heavily on Frederic to answer the bell if liberties are taken with the team, especially on the youngsters, provide that intimidation factor and protection, and set the overall physical tone. Frederic was fourth on the Oilers in hits last playoffs, and he’ll be relied upon to be a leader in that department as well.

Overall, when the Oilers signed the 27-year-old to an eight-year extension last June, it was easy to question the move after his limited playoff production. Yet the potential is there with Frederic, who, if he’s playing at his peak, is one of those rare unicorns in the NHL that’s capable of scoring nice goals in tight, landing a hard right hand or a big check, all while laughing and chirping in opponents’ faces.