Over the last two seasons, one of the more underrated Boston Bruins forwards has been Trent Frederic. If there is one player who apears to have benefitted from the coaching change from Bruce Cassidy to Jim Montgomery, it’s the St. Louis native.
In 2022-23, Montgomery’s first in Boston, the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 Entry Draft had a career year in goals (17), assists (14), and points (31). That set up the former University of Wisconsin left-shot to get a well-deserved payday from the Black and Gold. Entering the 2023-24 season, the big question was whether or not Frederic would be able to follow up his previous season with another good season or was it a case of him being surrounded by play-making for his teammates?
Trent Frederic’s 2023-24 season
When training camp began, was Frederic going to follow up his previous season with a similar one? The answer ended up being yes. After Sweeney signed Morgan Geekie in free agency and the emergence of John Beecher as a center allowed Frederic to stay on his wing a lot of the seaosn continued to play stress-free.
He finished the season with 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points, all new career highs and he was able to adjust to the mixing and matching that Montgomery did. He played well when put on Charlie Coyle’s line and it continues to reinforce that a Frederic/Coyle combination next season in some form in the lineup makes just too much sense.
In the playoffs he had three goals and two assists in all 13 postseason games. He scored his three goals in the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs and averaged a career-high 13:23 a night. He also was more aggressive offensively with 18 shots landed on the net.
Trent Frederic’s future in Boston
It’s clear that Frederic is part of the Bruins' plans for next season, the final year of his two-year contract. He has cleaned up his antics that would often find himself in the penalty box or as a healthy scratch, but he still is out there sticking up for his teammates. He is someone who is well-liked by his teammates as well as the fans.