When Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney had a fire sale at the trade deadline back in March, he moved some key pieces of his roster for assets. The biggest returns came from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a deal for Brandon Carlo and the Colorado Avalanche that sent Charlie Coyle to the Mile High City.
They also sent Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers and got a first-round pick in return. Those deals were tough for Bruins fans to stomach at the time, but there was another trade a couple of days before deadline day. Sweeney sent Trent Frederic to the Edmonton Oilers as part of a three-team deal with the New Jersey Devils.
Frederic was injured at the time, but returned for the postseason run that saw them reach the Stanley Cup Final for a second straight year. The result ended up being the same for Edmonton for a second straight year, with the Panthers winning the Cup.
After the season ended, Oilers' GM Stan Bowman made a rather eye-opening signing when he signed Frederic to an eight-year, $30.8 million extension with a $3.85 million AAV. That deal is looking brutal early in the 2025-26 season.
NHL writer gives Oilers a failing grade for Trent Frederic contract
When the contract details came out, it was rather eye-opening what Edmonton gave Frederic. He was very inconsistent in Boston during his career after being a first-round draft pick. Through 27 games, he has two goals and has been demoted to the fourth line. That's not what the Oilers had in mind when they re-signed him.
Adam Herman of Bleacher Report regraded the top free agent signings from the summer, and Frederic and the Oilers got an F. Not many people should be surprised.
"Frederic is an appealing player, but he's most similar to someone like Barclay Goodrow was in Tampa Bay; the third-best player on a third line who does the yeoman work next to two heavy lifters. The Oilers are simultaneously paying him to be much more than that, yet also aren't even getting that much from him. Now, they're in danger of missing the playoffs and have little cap space with which to make changes,'' Herman wrote.
Sweeney clearly had no intentions of re-signing Frederic and did the right thing in trading him. The return won't make a difference in Boston, however, Bowman must be regretting this decision early in the season. It's a contract that is untradeable and puts Edmonton in a corner. Imagine if Sweeney had given Frederic that deal in Boston? Fans would have been calling for his job more than they already are. This is a deal that is not going to age well for the Oilers.