EDMONTON — On pace for a six-point season, the only category in which Trent Frederic leads the Edmonton Oilers is radio show rants. There, he and Stu Skinner are far and away the most ‘successful’ Edmonton Oilers.
But at 27, Frederic is a pro. He’s not listening and couldn’t care less what’s being said.
“All I care about is what my teammates think of me,” Frederic said after Wednesday’s practice. “I know they all probably like me as a guy. They probably want more from me as a player.
“So do I.”
Frederic signed an eight-year deal this summer with an AAV $3.85 million. Whatever happens in Edmonton, long-term, he is going to be a part of it.
“I just signed a contract that’s going to be my last one, probably. And I don’t really care about the individual stuff — I want a team to do well,” he said. “That’s really all I care about.”
But what’s his role? What part of the rope is he supposed to be pulling on?
Should he hit more? Fight more? Score more?
So far this season, Frederic has chipped in two lousy points (both goals) in 27 games. Dropped to the fourth line, he’s averaging less than 10 minutes of ice time of late.
Inside the Oilers dressing room, players must be wondering what happened to the guy they used to see twice a year when they faced Boston?
“Every period you walk in (to the dressing room), you want to do better than you have been. Show that you’re the player that they played against for years,” he said of his teammates. “So yeah, it’s frustrating, and I don’t have the answer for getting out of it. It’s not going to be in one game, it’s not going to be five games. It’s going to take a little bit … to build your way up to get the trust of your teammates.”
On Tuesday against Minnesota, Frederic played just 8:30 on a fourth line with Connor Clattenburg and Curtis Lazar. Mattias Janmark, a genuine fourth-line winger on a good team, was elevated to Line 3 to play with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Meanwhile, Frederic helps break in a rookie like Clattenburg, who reminds him a bit of himself at that age.
They’ve had time to talk: Frederic played 8:30 versus the Wild, Clattenburg just 4:41.
“I tell him, ‘Every shift is a gift in this league,’” Frederic said. “You’ve got to do what you can and stay with it mentally, because you can go through stretches and penalties, TV time-outs (where you’re stapled to the bench). I’ve been in that situation where you don’t want a TV time-out, you want neutral zone draws…
“There’s a lot of thinking when you’re in that situation. It’s hard not to do,” he said. “We’re in the same boat here.”
This key free agent signing of GM Stan Bowman wasn’t supposed to be “in the same boat” as a first-year pro like Clattenburg. But here we are.
On one hand, you’d think a feisty young cat like Clattenburg could drag Frederic into the fight. The rookie has only played four games, but is averaging 30 hits/60.
Can’t Frederic just up his hits and let things roll from there?
“If it were that easy, we wouldn’t be talking right now,” he said.
He’s lost the trust of his coach, has yet to gain the trust of his teammates, and you’ve got to believe, Frederic is wavering a bit on himself these days.
“When your ice time gets cut back, you have a lot more time to think on the bench. When you’re getting the ice time you’re getting, it’s what you deserve,” he said. “I’m not a worse hockey player than I was the last couple years. I think I’m a better hockey player, skills-wise. But I’ve just got to somehow make it click.”
-
-
NHL on Sportsnet
Livestream Hockey Night in Canada, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the Oilers, Flames, Canucks, out-of-market matchups, the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the NHL Draft.
Normally, you have to pull teeth to get head coach Kris Knoblauch to say anything less than positive about one of his players. But he’s spoken three or four times already this season of Frederic in similar terms to the way he spoke on Wednesday:
“Trent’s disappointed with the season. I certainly expect more from Trent,” Knoblauch said. “He has a lot to give us and help our team.”
It’s a long season, and the Oilers aren’t overloaded with guys who can play physical and maybe even fight now and again — the traits they thought they were getting here. He’ll get more chances to get a foothold in this lineup — that eight-year deal will afford him that, at least.
“Trent just has to work hard and be ready for an opportunity,” Knoblauch said. “If the other guys in front of them are doing their job and playing well, you might have to wait a little bit longer. But somebody, whether it’s an injury or getting into my dog house and you’re looking for a replacement, somebody is going to get more opportunity.
“You’d better be ready.”
