BLOG: Frederic finds an instant fit in Edmonton

EDMONTON, AB – Nobody knows hockey like Oil Country, and forward Trent Frederic discovered that reality very quickly upon his arrival in Edmonton from Boston at the NHL Trade Deadline – fast enough to know that Edmonton was the place he wanted to lock in long term for the next eight seasons.

The 27-year-old hasn’t been here for very long, but after signing an eight-year, $30.8 million ($3.85 million AAV) extension on Friday afternoon to remain in Edmonton for the forseeable future, he’s now poised to spend the bulk of his NHL career with the Oilers following what was an impactful first impression.

“My number one thing in life right now is playing hockey, and that's what I love to do,” Frederic said via video call after signing his extension on Friday. “I’m fortunate enough that I get to do it for a living and play in front of all the Edmonton fans at Rogers Place and see the buzz around the city."

“It's a hockey heaven. It's everything you can dream of as a hockey player, and I believe that we're going to have a great team. I'm going to get more experience and get a chance to win it all. Playing here, it's incredible when the doors open and you walk out. It's a very cool feeling."

Despite such a short exposure to playing with the Oilers this past season, having been acquired at the Trade Deadline from the Bruins in March and being limited to only one regular-season game and all 22 playoff contests because of an ankle injury, the experience was more than enough for Frederic to know he didn’t want to play anywhere else.

Putting pen to paper an eight-year deal, Frederic expects to have eight more solid cracks at winning the Stanley Cup in an Oilers uniform after getting the opportunity this past April, May and June to experience playoff hockey in Edmonton, contributing to the first of what he hopes to be many more Cup runs beside guys like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Starting his Oilers tenure on the sidelines with an ankle injury, Frederic said the recovery process helped him foster relationships beyond just the players in the dressing room, as he got to spend lots of time with the team’s training and medical staff while working to get back to full strength.

Those moments were vital for forming such a strong attachment to the team before he'd even stepped on the ice with his new teammates.

“Immediately when I got here, just the training staff, the equipment staff, the chefs and the whole team – it's like one big community. Everyone's a part of it,” he said. “Being injured, you get to sit back and kind of look around and see how great the people are in this organization. That's what this organization seems like it’s all about.

"At the end of the day, we spend a lot of time at the rink around those people, and I very much enjoyed everyone so much and realized this is a great organization. Just the team itself. I think it's going to give me the best chance to be on a winning team and have a chance of winning it all.”

Frederic recorded a goal and three assists in 22 playoff games with the Oilers after only appearing in one regular-season game on Apr. 5 against the Los Angeles Kings, where he re-aggravated his ankle injury that he sustained two-and-a-half months earlier as a member of the Bruins.

After having his impact this season lessened by his ailment, the 27-year-old and the Oilers organization feel that the best is still to come for him, both in his career and in a Blue & Orange uniform, following his career-best season of 40 points (18 goals) during the 2023-24 campaign.

"I'm not really going to use the injury as an excuse," he said. "I didn't think I had the best playoffs, but I feel I can bring more, and the Oilers believe that too, and I know I will. I have more scoring ability and other factors in my game. It's sometimes a little hard in the playoffs, especially being a new guy to sometimes play on the edge, especially when every penalty matters and just being careful there.

"I'm really excited for the next season to start here and show everyone what I'm about."

Frederic is already excited to get going for Training Camp, as he believes a long runway of preparation before the start of the 2025-26 NHL campaign will go a long way in helping him reach full health and have a bigger impact in an Oilers uniform next season.

"I'm excited for the year to start," he said. "I'm obviously taking a little bit of time off right now. I haven't skated since the season started, but I'm very excited to get up there and fully integrate myself, dialling everything in for when the year begins."