Edmonton Oilers fans witnessed their stars in blue and orange fight awfully close to the Stanley Cup, only to face defeat for the second consecutive season. It was heartbreaking and a painful reminder that two consecutive defeats weren’t all that common in the league: the last time it happened was in 1977 and 1978, when the Boston Bruins succumbed to the Montreal Canadiens on both occasions.
The Florida Panthers retained the Cup in the United States, much to the dismay of Canadian fans. From goalkeeping woes to penalty problems, and by the end of the final game against the Panthers, the Oilers had little to offer, mentally and physically, to secure the game.
Can the Oilers change the narrative in the upcoming season? To begin with, an NHL insider is pinning his hopes on a 27-year-old forward.
Oilers’ Trent Frederic Expected to Reach New Heights
When Trent Frederic was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in a three-way deal that involved the Bruins, the Oilers, and the New Jersey Devils, he was recuperating from an ankle injury. But the 27-year-old was still looking forward to being one of the Oilers.
“I had a lot of mixed emotions (on the trade), I had a feeling, I could see the writing on the wall. I had mixed emotions about leaving Boston, but excited about coming to Edmonton, and I think this team and this group has a good chance of taking a run at it,” confessed the 27-year-old.
Notwithstanding his injury, Frederic averaged four points in 22 postseason games with the Oilers, averaging more than 11 minutes on ice. During the playoffs, he ranked fourth in hits and fifth in blocked shots among Oilers forwards.
Eventually, the forward signed an eight-year, $30.8 million contract with the team. Greater things are expected of the Oilers’ supporting cast this season, and insider John Shannon believes Frederic is expected to provide that extra bit of oomph this season.
Shannon appeared on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer and predicted that Frederic will have an impressive bounce-back season in 2025-26.
Shannon speculated that although the past season was underwhelming, the forward is expected to reach new heights. “Trent Frederic is an interesting one for me. I think it would be unfair to say that he was really good last year, but he was never 100%. And I think we are going to see a real quality version of Trent Frederic.”
Shannon expressed further faith in Frederic’s resurgence and expects the 27-year-old to contribute much more to the game this time around. “I am not sure he is a top-six guy, but I certainly do believe that he is a top-nine guy. He will be a much bigger and much better contributor this year than he was at any point after the deadline last year.”
There is a reason why the Oilers decided to offer Frederic a max-term contract; the 27-year-old forward can become a real asset as Edmonton chases Stanley Cup glory in 2025-26.