At 35-21-4, the Edmonton Oilers enter Tuesday's action with 74 points, good enough for second place in the Pacific Division and placing them squarely among the 10 best teams in the NHL. In other words, they're exactly where they expected to be one season after falling one win shy of winning the Stanley Cup.
Their odds of accomplishing what they failed to last season just went up thanks to the trade the three-team deal that they just made with the Boston Bruins and the New Jersey Devils.
Trade details:
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 4, 2025
To #LetsGoOilers:
C Trent Frederic
F Max Jones
To #NHLBruins:
2025 STL 2nd Rd Pick
2026 EDM 4th Rd Pick
D Max Wanner
To #njdevils:
Rights to Shane LaChance
(From EDM for retaining 50% on Frederic)
As Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported, the Oilers acquired veteran forwards Trent Frederic and Max Jones, parting with a pair of draft picks and Max Wanner in the deal. In order to help facilitate the deal financially, the Devils received prospect Shane LaChance from the Oilers.
NHL Trade Grades: Who won the three-team trade involving Trent Frederic?
It isn't hard to see why the Oilers wanted to do this deal. Edmonton is a team that often relies heavily on its top six (which makes sense when they roster Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl), but their bottom six leaves a lot to be desired. Frederic is in the midst of a down year, recording just eight goals and seven assists in 57 games this season, but he set career highs with 18 goals and 22 assists in the 2023-24 campaign. Chances are, going from a Bruins team that has not been able to produce much offense this season to a dynamic Oilers squad, Frederic's play will improve.
At his best, Frederic can do just about anything. He won't light up the stat sheet, but he can score a dirty goal, play down the middle or at a wing spot, and kill penalties. He's a player virtually any contender would be interested in acquiring around deadline time, which explains the hefty price it took for them to acquire him. It should be noted that while Frederic is currently injured, he's expected to return this season with plenty of time to go on a deep playoff run, which is Edmonton's goal.
While this deal makes sense for Edmonton, it's hard not to like what the Bruins got. Acquiring a second-round pick from a St. Louis Blues team that might end up missing the playoffs in exchange for Frederic in the final year of his deal and Jones, a player who has spent most of the year in the AHL and has another year on his deal is outstanding business. Adding in the fact that Frederic is currently hurt makes the deal even better for a rebuilding Bruins team. Bruins fans (understandably) want GM Don Sweeney to take the fall for this disastrous season that they're in the midst of, but this trade was a good one for Boston.
Ironically enough, Frederic is a player who would have fit in quite nicely on a Devils team that desperately needs a third-line center. While it stings a bit for the Devils to have not acquired Frederic, eating money to get their hands on a solid prospect in Shane LaChance is hard to complain about, and this shouldn't prevent them from buying at the deadline.
When declaring a winner, it's tough not to love what Boston did here, getting a valuable draft pick in exchange for a player who was likely going to depart after the year. The Oilers got better, but paid a steep price to do so. The Devils got decent value in exchange for their help in facilitating the deal.