The Edmonton Oilers may have a solution to their 4th line woes
The Edmonton Oilers have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL for the past 8 weeks, but their 4th line continues to be a revolving door of players cycling in and out of the lineup. Now, analysts think Stan Bowman should target Boston Bruin's Trent Frederic at the trade deadline as he could solve the Oilers 4th line issues.
It was recently announced that the Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman John Klingberg to 1 year pro-rated contract worth $1 million, including a $350k signing bonus.
How does that relate to Trent Frederic you ask?
Well, if Klingberg manages to solidify his role on the team, the Oilers might not need to trade for a top-4 defender after all. Instead, Stan Bowman could use the spare cash to make a strategic 4th line acquisition, and Trent Frederic fits the bill perfectly.
Trent Frederic would add toughness to the roster
The Edmonton Oilers are currently ranked dead last in the NHL in hits, and Trent Frederic has proven to be a force to be reckoned with.
He hits, he scores, he's tough -- exactly what the Oilers need, especially that with uncertainties around top enforcer Evander Kane.
The 6-foot-3, 221-pound forward provides the grittiness and physicality that is severely lacking on this Oilers squad. He's currently second on the Bruins in hits with 124. As a team, Boston leads the NHL with 1,191 hits, while Edmonton is dead last in that category with only 533. Frederic will undoubtedly make the Oilers tougher to play against and add an element to their game that's missing.
According to Oilers Daily, the Oilers have become known in the NHL as the team that hits the least and adding Frederic would certainly help change that narrative as he is built for playoff hockey.
He is currently on the last year of his deal that's worth $2.3 million and likely would not take a significant portion of draft capital or assets to acquire his services.
