The Edmonton Oilers, the reigning Western Conference champions, initiated their first significant move leading up to the NHL trade deadline with the acquisition of gritty forward Trent Frederic from the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. Edmonton shipped a 2025 second-round pick, a 2026 fourth-round pick, and prospect Max Wanner to Boston in exchange for the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Frederic, with the Bruins agreeing to cover half of Frederic’s $2.3 million salary. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils retained an additional quarter of the salary and obtained the rights to unsigned draft pick Shane Lachance from the Oilers and Petr Hauser from the Bruins as part of the transaction.
The decision to trade Frederic represents the Bruins’ initial move to offload assets as they strive to secure one of the final playoff berths in the Eastern Conference. Notably, team captain Brad Marchand, who is also a pending free agent like Frederic, expressed his desire to remain with Boston for his entire career. However, Marchand sustained an injury over the past weekend and is currently listed as week-to-week.
The addition of the 27-year-old Frederic bolsters Edmonton with much-needed physicality, aiming to support star players Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the team in making another deep playoff push this season. This move comes on the heels of the Oilers securing depth forward Max Jones as part of the deal, providing additional depth to their roster.
As the trade deadline looms closer, with the cutoff set for Friday at 3 p.m. EST, one player who seems set to stay put is Jake Evans. Evans recently signed a four-year, $11.4 million contract extension to remain with the Montreal Canadiens beyond the current season.
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