Edmonton Oilers
Oilers to Healthy Scratch Frederic and Mangiapane: What’s Next?
With Mangiapane and Frederic headed for the press box, the Oilers face tough decisions. One looks tradable — the other doesn’t.
The Edmonton Oilers’ lineup decisions ahead of Tuesday’s game say more than any press conference ever could. With both Trent Frederic and Andrew Mangiapane set to be healthy scratches, the message from the coaching staff is clear: patience is wearing thin, and the margin for underperformance on a team with Stanley Cup aspirations is shrinking fast.
Healthy scratches are rarely just about one night. They’re pressure points — moments where the organization forces clarity. For the Oilers, the situations surrounding Mangiapane and Frederic are very different, and so are the solutions.
Andrew Mangiapane: A Trade That’s Becoming Inevitable
For Mangiapane, scratched for a second game in a row seems less like a wake-up call and more like a checkpoint on a route that has been paved ahead of time. His ice time has been up and down, his offense has not been reflective of his salary or of what he has shown in the past, and his overall role has been scaled back. For a team where every penny counts, this doesn’t add up.
On the bright side for the Oilers, Mangiapane is still a readily available piece for the Edmonton organization. While he isn’t cheap, he isn’t a significant enough piece for multiple teams looking for a strict bottom-six forward, but rather a fourth-line option who has proven he has the skill set of a top-line scorer in the past. The Oilers won’t have to “sell low” in terms of offering high-value pieces, per se, in a deal for Mangiapane.
As far as Mangiapane goes, the fix seems simple: look for a trade that will more evenly distribute skill across the line, or move his salary to make room for a spot that’s needed just as much. It’s less a punitive move to sit him, and more a warning to the rest of the NHL that this team will be looking to trade him away in a heartbeat if a good offer comes along.
Trent Frederic: The Harder Problem
Frederic’s situation is far more complicated — and far more uncomfortable.
Unlike Mangiapane, Frederic is in year one of an eight-year deal. Scratching a player that early into a long-term commitment is alarming, not just because of optics, but because it severely limits flexibility. You can’t easily trade the contract. You can’t bury it. And you can’t afford for the player to mentally disengage.
Instead, they brought in Frederic for his edge, his physicality, and his playoff prowess. The problem there is that those are only attractive qualities when they are paired with scoring and with some cohesion. That combination truly has not been seen consistently enough to warrant a nightly spot in the lineup.
The answer in this case is not a deal but rather growth and role establishment. Edmonton has to determine specifically what Frederic’s role is on this roster. Is he a matchup winger, a bottom-six energy role, or a situational role for when they face heavier teams? As of now, Frederic seems caught in between, and being in limbo is often preferable to outright being a disappointment.
Healthy scratching Frederic should be about resetting expectations, not diminishing confidence. The Oilers need to simplify his responsibilities, put him in positions where his strengths are undeniable, and accept that the contract only works if he becomes a clearly defined piece — not a Swiss Army knife who doesn’t excel at any one thing.
What This Says About the Oilers
Scratching both players at the same time sends a broader message: performance matters, reputation doesn’t. On a team chasing a championship window built around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, there is no room for prolonged experimentation.
The solution likely lies outside the organization for Mangiapane. For Frederic, the solution has to come from within — via coaching clarity, role discipline, and patience that doesn’t extend into complacency.
These scratches aren’t the death knell for either player, but they are an inflection point. How the Oilers respond – and how each player does – could shape the roster far more than any trade deadline headline.
Next: Insiders Link 2 Teams — Not Ducks — to an Oilers Mangiapane Trade
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