The Edmonton Oilers have made their first extension of the off-season official, locking down forward Trent Frederic to an <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-trent-frederic-finalize-eight-year-contract">eight-year contract worth $3.85 million annually</a>.

The deal had been rumoured for weeks, even as the Oilers were still playing in the Stanley Cup Final. Acquired ahead of the trade deadline, Frederic re-aggravated an injury during his only regular-season game with Edmonton, but he did suit up for 22 playoff games, recording one goal and three assists for a total of four points.
Frederic’s re-signing, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/eight-year-contract-edmonton-oilers-trent-frederic-isnt-risky">especially at the eight-year length</a>, sparked plenty of debate online.
<blockquote>“Just beyond baffling to want to give a third or fourth liner eight years. If the cap hit was to be extremely low as a result perhaps, but even with the rising cap this makes no sense to me at all.” – Sean Bowie via X</blockquote>
<blockquote>“Legit why? $4M is a lot for someone who has not been productive as much as he should be. I get he may be worth that right now, but for eight years? Better hope he finds the fountain of youth because right now, his best attribute is his fighting.” – Zach_R_01 via X</blockquote>
<blockquote>“The organization and analytics department must have some kind of data that supports this length and cap hit… I like the player, but I’m just tired of ‘hoping’ a contract works out lol. Good for Trent though. Buy a house and settle in!” – Austin Hockey via X</blockquote>
<blockquote>“I find it very hard to believe anyone else in the league would be offering him this kind of deal…” – Brian Kowel via Facebook</blockquote>
<blockquote>“This is the kind of Stan Bowman deal that led to the drastic downfall of the Blackhawks.” – Douglas Graham via Facebook
“Am I the only person not upset with the Trent Frederic extension? I feel like he&#8217;s gonna be a game changer when he&#8217;s healthy, and $3.85M is gonna look like $2M in a couple years when the cap is over $100 mil.” – PoppaRusty via X</blockquote>
The reaction has been largely skeptical, not just among Oilers fans, but from across the NHL. On paper, it’s an unusual deal to commit significant term for a player who didn’t provide much offensive output this spring. That said, Frederic played through an ankle injury and was limited as a result, so we haven&#8217;t seen his best yet.
The Oilers are clearly banking on a return to form when Frederic is fully healthy. This is a player who scored 35 goals for the Bruins between 2022-23 and 2023-24.
<blockquote>“If he scores 20 goals a year for six of those years I would call it a success.” – Giles Macinnis via X</blockquote>
<blockquote>“Bruins fans have seen the real Trent Frederic for years. Trust me, there&#8217;s not much there (and I love the guy).” – Capt. Marchy via X</blockquote>
<blockquote>“I pray to the hockey gods that I am wrong about this contract and that Trent Frederic has a long productive career with the Oilers. But to me this is complete Nurse contract level insanity. I saw nothing from him to justify anything close to this.” – Peter Sankoff via X</blockquote>
<blockquote>“This kid will be good. $3.85M in four years will be a bottom line player salary anyways 😂 If you saw his play prior to coming to Edmonton I think you would say this is a good deal.” – Jvdcartel via Instagram</blockquote>
<blockquote>“He was injured the entirety of the playoffs and when he came to the Oilers. He is a good hockey player, and once he learns how to play in a different system, this could pan out fairly well—and he’s tough.” – Canadianeh84 via Instagram</blockquote>
Through 338 games in his NHL career, Frederic has 55 goals and 109 points along with a plus-18 rating. While not elite production, his positional versatility, physicality, and growth potential seem to be the qualities the Oilers are investing in.
This contract will carry Frederic through the 2032-33 season, when he’ll be 35 years old. Whether it proves to be a savvy move or an overpay remains to be seen. Regardless, Frederic is locked in with Edmonton.

Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid and Trent Frederic

The Edmonton Oilers have made their first extension of the off-season official, locking down forward Trent Frederic to an <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-trent-frederic-finalize-eight-year-contract">eight-year contract worth $3.85 million annually</a>.



The deal had been rumoured for weeks, even as the Oilers were still playing in the Stanley Cup Final. Acquired ahead of the trade deadline, Frederic re-aggravated an injury during his only regular-season game with Edmonton, but he did suit up for 22 playoff games, recording one goal and three assists for a total of four points.

Frederic’s re-signing, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/eight-year-contract-edmonton-oilers-trent-frederic-isnt-risky">especially at the eight-year length</a>, sparked plenty of debate online.
<blockquote>“Just beyond baffling to want to give a third or fourth liner eight years. If the cap hit was to be extremely low as a result perhaps, but even with the rising cap this makes no sense to me at all.” – Sean Bowie via X</blockquote>
<blockquote>“Legit why? $4M is a lot for someone who has not been productive as much as he should be. I get he may be worth that right now, but for eight years? Better hope he finds the fountain of youth because right now, his best attribute is his fighting.” – Zach_R_01 via X</blockquote>
<blockquote>“The organization and analytics department must have some kind of data that supports this length and cap hit… I like the player, but I’m just tired of ‘hoping’ a contract works out lol. Good for Trent though. Buy a house and settle in!” – Austin Hockey via X</blockquote>
<blockquote>“I find it very hard to believe anyone else in the league would be offering him this kind of deal…” – Brian Kowel via Facebook</blockquote>
<blockquote>“This is the kind of Stan Bowman deal that led to the drastic downfall of the Blackhawks.” – Douglas Graham via Facebook

“Am I the only person not upset with the Trent Frederic extension? I feel like he's gonna be a game changer when he's healthy, and $3.85M is gonna look like $2M in a couple years when the cap is over $100 mil.” – PoppaRusty via X</blockquote>
The reaction has been largely skeptical, not just among Oilers fans, but from across the NHL. On paper, it’s an unusual deal to commit significant term for a player who didn’t provide much offensive output this spring. That said, Frederic played through an ankle injury and was limited as a result, so we haven't seen his best yet.

The Oilers are clearly banking on a return to form when Frederic is fully healthy. This is a player who scored 35 goals for the Bruins between 2022-23 and 2023-24.
<blockquote>“If he scores 20 goals a year for six of those years I would call it a success.” – Giles Macinnis via X</blockquote>
<blockquote>“Bruins fans have seen the real Trent Frederic for years. Trust me, there's not much there (and I love the guy).” – Capt. Marchy via X</blockquote>
<blockquote>“I pray to the hockey gods that I am wrong about this contract and that Trent Frederic has a long productive career with the Oilers. But to me this is complete Nurse contract level insanity. I saw nothing from him to justify anything close to this.” – Peter Sankoff via X</blockquote>
<blockquote>“This kid will be good. $3.85M in four years will be a bottom line player salary anyways 😂 If you saw his play prior to coming to Edmonton I think you would say this is a good deal.” – Jvdcartel via Instagram</blockquote>
<blockquote>“He was injured the entirety of the playoffs and when he came to the Oilers. He is a good hockey player, and once he learns how to play in a different system, this could pan out fairly well—and he’s tough.” – Canadianeh84 via Instagram</blockquote>
Through 338 games in his NHL career, Frederic has 55 goals and 109 points along with a plus-18 rating. While not elite production, his positional versatility, physicality, and growth potential seem to be the qualities the Oilers are investing in.

This contract will carry Frederic through the 2032-33 season, when he’ll be 35 years old. Whether it proves to be a savvy move or an overpay remains to be seen. Regardless, Frederic is locked in with Edmonton.

‘This is Nurse contract level insanity’: Oilers fans react to Frederic’s eight-year deal

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