One of the issues with Trent Frederic last season was that the Edmonton Oilers couldn’t find him a role on the team. It became an overarching topic for the entire team: how can they galvanize their bottom-six, who are producing at some of the lowest rates in the McDavid-Draisaitl era?

Frederic was still dealing with the effects of his high ankle sprain, something he admitted to in a recent interview with Bob Stauffer on Oilers Now. He said he felt a bit lost, and that’s how it looked for fans who were looking for positives.

Those positives would come after the Olympic break with improved foot speed and a willingness to engage in more scrums and take more fights.

The one area I came back to was penalty killing. For me, signing a middle-six forward to an eight-year contract makes more sense if he kills penalties, especially on a team where power-play time is exclusive. Last season, he didn’t kill at all. He was on the ice for a grand total of three seconds 4-on-5. Connor Clattenburg had 12 seconds of PK.

However, this is something he’s done before in Boston, and one I think new coach Mike Babcock should consider.

“I would love to have that role,” said Frederic. “I’m just trying to latch onto any role. Anytime you get out there a little bit more, you feel better about yourself, and teammates feel better about you. If that’s a shot block or getting it down and out, or killing 45 seconds, I would love that opportunity.”

Frederic’s most productive offensive season coincided with the year he played the most penalty-killing minutes of his career. In 2023–24 in Boston, the winger scored a career-best 18 goals and 40 points, while also playing 51:04 of ice time 4-on-5.

Meanwhile, Babcock is making the rounds, getting to know his players, seeing how they tick. Frederic sees it as a “clean slate.”

“I’ve talked to Babs, and I think it went pretty well,” he told Stauffer. “I liked everything he was saying. He seems like a coach that I think I’ll gel with, and I think he’ll get the best out of me, get the most out of me, selfishly.

“But I think just for the team, I think it’s exactly what we need. I think everyone’s excited. Everyone I’ve talked to seems like they’re pretty pumped up.”

Frederic did form one half of the “Bash Brothers” with trade deadline acquisition Colton Dach. The youthful winger seemed to provide a jolt to Frederic, and their similar brands of hockey resulted in much-needed chemistry.

“He was great,” Frederic said of Dach, who re-upped for two years in the off-season.

“I didn’t realize honestly, how good he was until he came and played with us. When you go into Chicago in the last couple of years, they were a young team. It’s just kind of a game you think you’re gonna win, but I don’t know. He’s impressive. His ceiling is so high, and I think he’s not even there yet, so it’s cool.”

There’s nothing Frederic can do to change the past. However, a full off-season of training, a renewed passion for the game, a few more goals, and a defined role on the team, could work wonders for the Oilers this upcoming season.