What Trent Frederic, Max Jones might imply to Oilers

EDMONTON — Larger, youthful and extra bodily.

If you happen to’re like me, and felt that the Edmonton Oilers‘ Backside 6 was too previous and neither quick nor bodily sufficient, Tuesday’s acquisition of wingers Trent Frederic and Max Jones — two American-born 27-year-olds born six days aside in February of 1998 — ought to make you content.

Now, there are caveats: How badly injured is Frederic, and is Jones even an NHL participant? And we’ll talk about these.

However in return for buying Frederic — whose wage was laundered via New Jersey — and Jones, the Oilers dealt away two prospects in defenceman Max Wanner and massive Boston College ahead Shane LaChance, plus second- and fourth-round draft decisions within the ’25 and ’26 drafts, respectively.

So, right here’s our scorching tackle the trades:

• The Oilers have an vitality downside. They’ve bought one technique to get a spark — when the puck crosses the purpose line — and dropping their most bodily ahead in Evander Kane this season has uncovered the Oilers because the least bodily group in a 32-team league.

Frederic and Jones (if he performs right here) each have good foot velocity for males who measure six-foot-three and higher than 215 kilos. And each, significantly Frederic, will end checks on the forecheck, a ability that has gone missing amongst Edmonton’s growing old Backside 6.

If vitality, sooner begins, elevated measurement and physicality, and the hope that some in-your-face hockey by a couple of will draw extra Oilers into that combat is the want, there is no such thing as a purpose to suppose this deal doesn’t take Edmonton’s roster in the proper path.

• The most important instant concern round Frederic is his well being.

He’s missed three video games with a foot/ankle harm, after being harm on Feb. 25 and listed then as “week-to-week.” He was sporting a boot final week, however seen at Sunday’s recreation with out the boot and strolling freely — for what that’s value.

Scouts name Frederic a “Center 6” winger, which implies his abilities are suited to a third-line function, however he has the velocity and abilities to step up beside a Prime 6 centreman for stretches.

Now, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch likes his third line of Adam Henrique between Mattias Janmark and Connor Brown, utilizing them towards opponents’ high traces. So Knoblauch might deploy Frederic on Line 4 (perhaps even at centre), or maybe slot Ryan Nugent-Hopkins subsequent to Leon Draisaitl and run Frederic subsequent to Connor McDavid the best way Pat Maroon did when he was an Oiler.

Frederic is a pending UFA who had 17 and 18 objectives the 2 seasons earlier than scoring eight objectives on a flagging Bruins group this yr, however we’ll assume coming to a contender would rejuvenate the participant considerably.

His objectives come from the soiled areas the place playoff objectives are so usually scored, and protecting the flies off of McDavid is a sensible job, although he’s greater than possible a Backside 6 man, as we’ve expressed right here.

Giving up two draft picks and prospects for Frederic is smart if the Oilers can re-sign him within the low season. If it seems to be a pure rental, he’d higher be leaving with a Stanley Cup ring for this deal to make sense.

• Jones is that former first-rounder (twenty fourth general in 2016) who’s presently enduring an id disaster: he’s by no means going to be a first-line factors producer within the NHL that he was with the OHL’s London Knights, however together with his velocity and measurement he might nonetheless have a protracted profession as fourth-line man who performs responsibly, hits and perhaps even drops the mitts on occasion.

The place Frederic is a “Center 6” left-winger, Jones is “Backside 6” all the best way, a man who has to play in straight traces, use his heavy physique, get in on the forecheck and punish defencemen. That’s all you’re asking of this participant — however one thing the Oilers don’t have sufficient of.

He has one yr left on his contract at $1 million, which places him on the fence as an affordable depth ahead in Edmonton subsequent season, or a man in AHL Bakersfield who doesn’t depend towards the Oilers’ cap.

Jones is now on his third group, a yr away from being a UFA. Typically being the group who will get a sure participant on the proper second in his profession may be good: suppose Andrew Cogliano in Anaheim, or when the Oilers landed a troubled Zack Kassian, who was decided to resurrect his profession.

That story is often up the participant to write down.

• Ultimately, Edmonton used simply $575,000 in cap house to make this deal occur — assuming that both Jones goes to Bakersfield or whomever he replaces within the Oilers lineup does the identical (Matt Savoie, Kasperi Kapanen…).

In Frederic, they’ve their depth ahead. Now they want a defenceman and, in an ideal world, a winger for Leon Draisaitl.

My prediction: With Kane an unknown, GM Stan Bowman will commerce a Kane or one other participant to open the cap house wanted to get a second-line winger, and add a defenceman.

And if Kane gained’t comply with ending the season on LTIR, then he turns into your winger and also you hope he’s any good after lacking nearly a calendar yr.