Now that a good number of free agents have signed this summer, it's the fun time of year to look at some of the worst contracts in the NHL. Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic ranked the 10 worst contracts going into the 2026-27 season. Surprisingly, there were no Bruins on the list.
Why is that surprising? They had some clear candidates that could be on the list, headlined by center Elias Lindholm. However, he wasn't on the list, but there was a name that is familiar to Black and Gold fans: Trent Frederic. He is not Boston's problem anymore, but he's becoming a big problem for the Oilers and their fans.
Former Bruins forward Trent Frederic is listed as one of the worst contracts of 2026
Bruins GM Don Sweeney shipped Frederic to the Oilers at the trade deadline in 2025. He was injured and only played in one game before the playoff run to the Stanley Cup Final. For some reason, Edmonton decided to give the former first-round pick an eight-year deal with an AAV of $3.9 million. This isn't aging well.
In 74 games this past season, Frederic had four goals and seven points with a plus/minus of minus-15 and averaged just 11:02 in time on ice.
"A new coach and more opportunity could get Frederic back on track, but for now that’s a tough sell after his performance over the past two seasons. Even if he does return, his contract is still a lesson for other teams: Don’t give extreme term to depth players — especially if it doesn’t come with any notable AAV discount. Even in a rising cap world, that lesson remains true,'' wrote Luszczyszyn
Edmonton better hope that a new coach will be the answer to help Frederic turn things around. If not, then it's going to be a long seven years as there will be no team wiling to take that contract off the Oilers books anytime soon.
Frederic struggling is nothing new in terms of news to Boston Bruins fans. It was a rollercoaster ride in Boston, and it looks like it'll be a rollercoaster ride in Edmonton. Oilers fans, Bruins fans, feel your pain.
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