Scout’s Analysis: What Oilers get in complex Trent Frederic trade

The Edmonton Oilers stepped into the NHL trade market Tuesday, acquiring Trent Frederic in a complex three-way trade that also involved the Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils.

The Devils became involved to retain a portion of Frederic’s cap hit, which expires at the end of this season. In exchange for doing so, New Jersey picked up prospect Shane LaChance, son of former NHLer Scott, and a sixth-round pick of the Oilers’ back in 2021.

But the focus of the trade is Frederic, a first-round pick from 2016 who has found his place in the NHL as not a top-six scorer, but rather a bottom-six grinder known for toughness, grit and the odd fight.

For now, Frederic begins his time with the Oilers on the sidelines with a foot injury. Out for the past six days, it’s not certain when Frederic will be able to return, though he is expected to be back some time during the regular season.

“I think it’s the perfect type of player for them. I think that’s a really good deal. It’s the kind of piece you need. Edmonton is really limited in terms of what they can do,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on Tuesday’s The Hockey Show. “I like it for the Oilers.”

Are the Oilers done? They certainly have other needs to consider. It’s long been speculated the team still wants to add another defenceman, even after signing John Klingberg. And recent struggles in net by Stuart Skinner have left open questions about their goaltending as well.

Edmonton’s situation is this: At the moment, it has $4.588 million in deadline-day cap space, per PuckPedia, but that is with Evander Kane’s $5.125 million AAV on LTIR. If Kane is definitely going to be out the rest of the regular season, then Edmonton will be in fine position and could still be active on the market. But if there’s any chance Kane could return before the playoffs, Edmonton will need to keep that space open (and likely move someone like Matthew Savoie to the minors).

In the meantime, the Oilers are exploring trades for Kane, now that his full no-movement clause has expired. But how they get a deal like that done, and which teams would be interested in Kane, remains a mystery. He hasn’t played since the playoffs and has another season remaining on his contract.

“I believe there’s a disagreement on the timeline,” Friedman said. “I think the Oilers believe it’s later, I think Kane wants it to be sooner. With things like that, it always comes down to what the doctors say.

“I just think they’re gauging the market.”

If Kane isn’t moved, the Oilers would have to explore trading other roster players if they are to make more trades before Friday’s deadline.

In the meantime, the Oilers add a piece they believe will be important come playoff time. With more on the whole three-way trade, we turn to scout Jason Bukala.

SCOUT’S ANALYSIS

The three-way trade between the Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils involved a lot of strategic manoeuvring from all three clubs. 

From an Oilers’ perspective, it’s clear they placed a value on attempting to add more physicality to their forward group. The Bruins clearly wanted to add more depth to their prospect pool, while the Devils essentially purchased a prospect from the Oilers as the byproduct of retaining salary. 

Here’s my breakdown of the players involved in the deals:

To Edmonton: Trent Frederic, Max Jones, Petr Hauser

Trent Frederic is a pending UFA this summer. With Boston retaining $1.15 million of his cap hit, and New Jersey retaining another $575,000, he’s costing Edmonton only $575,000 of their own cap. A first-round pick of Boston’s in 2016 (29th overall), Frederic isn’t going to move the needle a great deal offensively, but he definitely adds a physical element to Edmonton’s forward group.

Frederic contributed a career-high 18 goals and 22 assists last season, but he’s struggled to find the same results this year and produced only eight goals and seven assists. He averaged just shy of 14 minutes of ice time in Boston, with the majority of his shifts coming at even strength and the penalty kill. Frederic moves well and has the ability to press up ice to create turnovers. He generally tracks back on time and, despite his minus-14 this year, has historically been reliable defensively. 

Where the six-foot-two, 203-pound forward brings the most value is in scenarios when games get physically demanding. Frederic never shies away from engaging in the trenches and is more than willing to drop the mitts when required. He’s hard to play against and has been credited with 153 hits this year. The only other Oilers forward with more than 100 hits is Vasili Podkolzin with 133, while Darnell Nurse leads their defencemen, with 110. Frederic’s physical element and energetic approach should open up more space for the Oilers’ skill players and wear down their opponents more frequently. 

Max Jones has never lived up to the hype of being selected in the first round (24th overall) by the Anaheim Ducks in 2016. He’s a big (six-foot-three, 216 pounds), strong, competitive player who had a career-high nine goals and 10 assists for the Ducks in 2022-23, but he’s been walking the fine line between being an NHL player and an AHL recall forward. 

Jones tracks up and down the ice effectively. He has no issues with the pace of the NHL game. Where things start to break down is with his three-zone awareness and overall detail. He doesn’t score a lot, so he needs to provide a reliable defensive game and play with a physical edge. The physicality is there, but I’ve always had a difficult time with his awareness off the puck and ability to read/react to how plays are developing — especially in his own zone. 

I see Jones as a potential safety net for the Oilers. He’s a player they can insert into the lineup occasionally when they are looking for more muscle and energy, but hasn’t earned my trust as a consistently impactful power forward. 

Forward Petr Hauser has suited up for three teams this season, playing in Czechia’s top division and the second level. He’s a big body (six-foot-four, 207 pounds) but cannot be described as a power forward. Instead, Hauser uses his frame to box out opponents coming off the boards and extend plays with his reach. His overall skill set is average, however, and he doesn’t project to be an NHL player anytime soon — if ever. He will surprise with a quick release on occasion, but he doesn’t handle the puck enough to be considered a consistent threat. 

To Boston: Max Wanner, St. Louis’ second-round pick in 2025, Edmonton’s fourth-round pick in 2026

Boston made out pretty well in these transactions. I’m not convinced the prospect they acquired is anything more than an AHL contributor, but they also got second-and fourth-round picks, and a couple more swings at the plate in an attempt to add to their organizational depth. 

I appreciate the compete in Max Wanner’s game. The six-foot-three, 184-pound, right-shot defenceman averages around 17 minutes per game at the AHL level. The bulk of his ice time comes at even strength and the penalty kill, and he occasionally chips in with depth offence. Where he gets into trouble is with his small-area defending. There are times when he jumps out at his check too aggressively, allowing quicker opponents to slide down the boards and track toward the net. He’s willing to block shots and push back physically, but he isn’t intimidating. He’s a hard-working depth defenceman, but I don’t see an NHL career on the horizon. 

To New Jersey: Shane Lachance

One of the good guys on the amateur scouting tour is New Jersey Devils scout Scott Lachance. The former defenceman suited up for 819 NHL games after attending Boston University while playing NCAA hockey. The Devils adding his son to the fold must be a fun and proud moment for Lachance. 

I recently included Shane Lachance as an Oilers prospect to keep an eye on in the build up to the deadline. Shane, like his father before him, is playing at Boston University and he captains the Terriers. The six-foot-five, 218-pound sophomore averages around 17 minutes of ice time, with most of his shifts coming at even strength and the power play. His stature causes issues for opponents along the wall and out front of the net.

Lachance is proficient at setting screens and generally making life miserable for opposing goalies around the crease. He’s a capable skater who has taken a bit longer to develop than most prospects, but the two-way power forward’s best years might be on the horizon. 

Read more scouting reports from Bukala on PuckPedia.

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