Oilers’ Frederic Opens Up on What Led to 2025-26 Struggles

Edmonton Oilers fans were highly critical of Trent Frederic following a disappointing 2025-26 season. The 28-year-old forward, who achieved a career-high of 18 goals and 40 points in the 2023-24 season, only managed four goals and seven points in his first full year with the Oilers.

This underperformance resulted in Frederic being a healthy scratch on multiple occasions. Compounding the issue, he is entering the second year of an eight-year, $30.8 million contract signed after the 2024-25 campaign. It's clear he needs a significant improvement in the upcoming season.

The positive outlook for Oilers fans is that there are valid reasons to anticipate his recovery. It was evident he wasn't favored by then-coach Kris Knoblauch, and he now has an opportunity for a new beginning with head coach Mike Babcock. Furthermore, he will begin the 2026-27 season fully healthy.

Frederic Battled Injury Throughout 2025-26

Frederic joined the Oilers late in the 2024-25 season, acquired just before the trade deadline from the Boston Bruins. At the time of the trade, he was sidelined with a high-ankle sprain. He played only one regular-season game for the Oilers before re-aggravating the same ankle injury.

Although Frederic pushed through the pain during the Oilers' second consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final, it was apparent he was far from his best. He concluded that extensive playoff run with a disappointing four points in 22 games.

Despite his poor playoff performance, most fans gave Frederic a pass due to his injury. However, this same leniency wasn't extended to him throughout the 2025-26 season, as the extent of his ongoing ankle issues wasn't widely known. He recently shared his frustration about playing through the injury for most of the 2025-26 campaign in a conversation with Bob Stauffer on Oilers Now.

“For me, I think after the [Christmas] break, I’d say I was probably as close to 100 percent as I had been before the injury,” Frederic stated. “Going back to last summer, I wasn’t able to skate until right around now, just started barely getting back on the ice again.”

Learning that the injury significantly impacted Frederic's offseason certainly sheds light on his struggles. High-ankle sprains are notoriously difficult injuries to overcome, and Frederic's inability to return to full health last season exemplifies this. The good news, however, is that he appears to be feeling like his old self again.

“I think this summer, it’s unfortunate that we lost early, but it’s been great for myself just to get a full summer of training hard and really skating at 100 percent. It will be good.”

As previously mentioned, Frederic also has a new opportunity under Babcock this coming season. While he didn't criticize Knoblauch directly in his conversation with Stauffer, he did admit to feeling lost in the shuffle at times last season.

“I don’t think I started off great,” Frederic confessed. “I think I got lost and just kind of lost who I was. Didn’t really have much of an identity. Hopefully, I can gain some confidence just getting away from the game, just enjoying the summer right now and having fun, working out and everything. I’m just excited to come back next year and just have a fresh start. Pretty excited to have Babs. Kind of a complete fresh slate. I’m excited about that.”

Frederic Could Be X-Factor for Oilers

Following a disappointing end to last season, General Manager Stan Bowman and his staff have made several roster changes for the upcoming season. Despite these adjustments, the team still lacks significant depth at forward and could greatly benefit from Frederic returning to his previous form. While his resurgence is yet to be seen, his recent comments offer considerable optimism that he can get his career back on track.