Generally, NHL teams have until the summer to decide on what they want to do with certain free agents. They want to make a decision that doesn’t come back to haunt them in the end, something that Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney knows all too well.
He faced that situation last season with Jake DeBrusk. At the trade deadline, Sweeney elected to hold onto the 14th overall pick of the 2015 Entry Draft knowing his free agency was up in the air, and in the end, he left in free agency for the Vancouver Canucks. He was lost for nothing and the Bruins haven’t been able to replace his production this season so far.
Now this upcoming season, Sweeney is facing the same situation, this time with Trent Frederic. The question is, does Sweeney dangle him as trade bait or ride out the season and then hopefully re-sign him and not lose him for nothing?
Don Sweeney has tough Trent Frederic question
First and foremost, Trent Frederic and Jake DeBrusk are two different players, but as we found out earlier this season, there appears to be a trade market for Frederic. Insiders have noted that teams are interested in the upcoming free agent with his style of play.
Frederic's offense has been up and down during his time in Boston. He struggled a lot under Bruce Cassidy and played better under Jim Montgomery and he has been streaky this season. The question that Sweeney has to ask is, what is Frederic's trade value and what could he get in return for the 2016 first-round pick? If teams are interested in trading for him, there is some trade value for the Black and Gold to consider.
At this point, who knows how things would play out with Frederic if he does stay in Boston for the rest of the season and free agency opens in July. There likely would in interest from clubs across the league and Sweeney has to decide whether he move him for a return or play out the season and see what happens in July.