How Mike Babcock’s Challenge Could Ignite Trent Frederic in Edmonton

Trent Frederic‘s first season with the Edmonton Oilers was rough. After arriving from Boston with a reputation as a gritty, effective two-way winger, he struggled to find his game after the trade that brought him to Edmonton. He thanked the Oilers for an eight-year extension by posting career-low numbers across the board.

But a closer look at the underlying data suggests that the sky isn’t falling. Allan Mitchell of The Athletic believes there’s reason for optimism.

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Mitchell writes:

“By the end of the [2025-26] regular season, Frederic was back to the 70th percentile in max speed, and his shot was hard enough to reach the 68th percentile. Those facts, along with a late-season spike in points per 60 (1.31 points per 60 in 13 games over March and April) plus some eye-popping games playing with rookie Colton Dach, gave Oilers fans hope. Frederic is himself again, or so it seems.”

The Oilers just re-signed Dach, and the hope is that he and Frederic can find a chemistry that has both players stepping significant steps.

In Frederic’s case, Mitchell argues that the key issue wasn’t effort or ice time. It was speed, or a lack thereof, in part, caused by injury. Frederic’s foot speed mysteriously dipped during his final season in Boston and stayed sluggish for much of his first year in Edmonton, dragging down his production and his ability to compete for pucks. A high ankle sprain made him largely ineffective after the trade, and it took much of last season for him to get back up to speed.

But late in the 2025-26 season, there were signs of improvement.

By March and April, Frederic’s speed improved, and his point production spiked. The numbers suggest the player Boston once relied on may finally be ready to show up in Edmonton. The trick now is the right deployment, which will be up to new coach Mike Babcock to get right. As a motivator and coach who pushes buttons, how likely is Frederic to respond? I’d argue, perhaps more positively than most.

Frederic Needs to Remember What Kind of Forward He Is

Frederic seemed to lose sight of why he was brought to the Oilers. A mistake by the old coaching staff saw him start the season on the top line with Connor McDavid — not at all where he should be. That deployment seemed to go to Frederic’s head, giving him the impression he was the kind of forward he is not. His job isn’t to score 30 goals a season alongside elite talent. It’s to stir the pot, forecheck, and create space. Once he became convinced the Oilers wanted something else, he temporarily lost his way.

Where Frederic ultimately lines up this fall could determine whether that promise turns into results. If Babcock’s messaging is clear and the forward gets back to the type of game Edmonton needs and expects from him, then his being healthy enough to deliver it could be a key factor in the team’s bottom-six success this season.

Next: Why Mike Babcock Will Slow Down Connor McDavid’s Scoring