{"id":629401,"date":"2026-07-23T15:06:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T15:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/629401\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T15:06:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T15:06:14","slug":"trent-frederics-30-8m-oilers-contract-under-fire-for-being-complete-anchor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/629401\/","title":{"rendered":"Trent Frederic’s $30.8M Oilers contract under fire for being ‘complete anchor’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Edmonton Oilers<\/a> forward Trent Frederic has landed on Dom Luszczyszyn\u2019s list of the NHL<\/a>\u2018s worst contracts. In his latest column for The Athletic, Luszczyszyn ranked Frederic\u2019s eight-year, $30.8 million extension as the league\u2019s sixth-worst deal after a disappointing first year.<\/p>\n

Frederic signed the extension in June 2025, carrying a $3.85 million annual cap hit. Edmonton expected the former Boston Bruins forward to become a dependable middle-six contributor. Instead, his production dropped sharply during the 2025-26 campaign.<\/p>\n

MORE: David Staples says Oilers need Evander Kane to neutralize NHL \u2018apex predators\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Luszczyszyn questioned whether the contract still makes sense in a rising salary cap environment. \u201cFrederic had just seven points in 74 games last season and was a real drag at five-on-five,\u201d he wrote. He added, \u201cHis contract now feels like a complete anchor where he\u2019s being paid nearly $4 million to be basically replacement level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frederic finished the regular season with four goals, seven points and a minus-15 rating. He also went scoreless in four playoff games before becoming a healthy scratch. Edmonton exited in the first round after losing its series to the Anaheim Ducks in six games.<\/p>\n

Oilers still hope Trent Frederic can justify long-term investment<\/p>\n

\"\"Edmonton Oilers center Trent Frederic (10) warms up before a game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Luszczyszyn acknowledged Edmonton\u2019s original thinking behind the deal. \u201cThe hope was Frederic would return to that level when healthy; instead, Edmonton saw him drop further toward the abyss,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

The analyst believes there is still a path forward, although optimism remains limited. \u201cA new coach and more opportunity could get Frederic back on track, but for now that\u2019s a tough sell,\u201d Luszczyszyn wrote.<\/p>\n

He also pointed to a broader lesson for NHL front offices. \u201cDon\u2019t give extreme term to depth players \u2014 especially if it doesn\u2019t come with any notable AAV discount,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

Frederic arrived in Edmonton through a three-team trade last year, and has built his reputation as a physical, versatile bottom-six forward capable of playing center or wing. However, he has struggled after receiving opportunities on a roster featuring Connor McDavid<\/a> and Leon Draisaitl.<\/p>\n

The criticism reflects performance rather than contract value alone. Edmonton\u2019s management committed eight years based on Frederic\u2019s previous middle-six potential. The Oilers have since reshaped their roster and hired Mike Babcock after their playoff disappointment. <\/p>\n

MORE: Ryan Whitney says Oilers\u2019 Connor McDavid deserves $23 million a year<\/a><\/p>\n

If Frederic rebounds, the contract may become more manageable. If last season becomes the norm, Luszczyszyn\u2019s \u201ccomplete anchor\u201d label will only gain more support.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Edmonton Oilers forward Trent Frederic has landed on Dom Luszczyszyn\u2019s list of the NHL\u2018s worst contracts. In his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":629402,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5125],"tags":[233,155,198,146,5300,5,4,24],"class_list":["post-629401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-edmonton-oilers","tag-anaheim-ducks","tag-connor-mcdavid","tag-edmonton","tag-edmonton-oilers","tag-edmontonoilers","tag-hockey","tag-nhl","tag-oilers"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116969916925998662","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=629401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/629402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=629401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=629401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=629401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}