After Wednesday’s practice in San Jose, Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch provided an update on the injured “fifth line” of Connor McDavid, Evander Kane, and Trent Frederic. Knoblauch confirmed Frederic is expected to return first and the recent trade acquisition could make his Oilers debut during this road trip.

The Oilers acquired Frederic and Max Jones from the Boston Bruins on March 4 in exchange for Edmonton’s second-round pick in the 2025 draft, their fourth-round pick in 2025, and a couple of prospects.

Frederic has been on the shelf since before the trade with a lower-body injury. He last suited up for the Bruins on February 25 in an overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing only five minutes in the game before leaving the bench.

Listed at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Frederic is going to add some much-needed size and physical play to the Oilers’ forward group. The 29th overall pick from the 2016 draft scored 35 goals between 2022-23 and 2023-24 but declined to just eight goals and 15 points in a difficult 2024-25 season with the Bruins.

General manager Stan Bowman said following the trade deadline in March that Frederic will get an opportunity to play in Edmonton’s top-six and that he’ll also get a look as the team’s third-line centre. Bowman added that fans and players on the team will appreciate the gritty forward’s style of play and his upbeat energy.

The Oilers are in third place in the Pacific Division with a 43-26-5 record. They began this four-game road trip with a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this week and they’ll look to extend their winning streak to three games when they face the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. After that, the Oilers will head to Los Angeles for a Saturday afternoon game with the Kings before wrapping up the road trip on Monday night against the Anaheim Ducks.