Why Trent Frederic likely won’t be Rangers option ahead of NHL trade deadline

As Chris Drury reshapes the New York Rangers roster to give it more physicality and an edge, the GM must’ve thought more than once about trying to land Trent Frederic ahead of the March 7 NHL trade deadline.

The rugged 26-year-old forward has been a bottom-six staple for the Boston Bruins for several seasons now, a nice combination of grit (305 penalty minutes) and skill (109 points, including 40 last season) in 334 NHL games. An unrestricted free agent at season’s end, Frederic is an intriguing rental option at an affordable $2.3 million salary cap hit.

With Adam Edstrom possibly out for the rest of the season with a lower-body injury, Frederic could be a quality replacement in the Rangers lineup. A fourth line of Frederic, Sam Carrick and Matt Rempe? Doubt too many teams would be thrilled facing that threesome down the stretch or in a Stanley Cup Playoff series.

There’s no reason for Frederic to be limited to solely fourth-line duty either. He’s been a middle-six forward for the Bruins, though there’s no obvious fit in that role with the Rangers right now. Frederic can play center or wing, but he’s not great on face-offs and is more suited to being on the wing.

“I think [Frederic] would be a perfect fit for the Rangers and for what they’re trying to do (with the roster). Big (6-foot-3, 221 pounds), physical, gritty and he can play, too. I like him a lot for New York,” one former NHL executive told Forever Blueshirts.

The Rangers already added a great combination of grit, skill and will, when they landed J.T. Miller in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks last week. Defenseman Will Borgen also has brought toughness and physicality to the blue line after he was acquired from the Seattle Kraken. Will Cuylle is fourth in the League with 196 hits, and Rempe is a physical force.

So, yes, Frederic would complement that physical group which is already in place quite nicely. With 147 hits, he is 20th in the NHL in that category, and his xGF of 50.56 percent, per Natural Stat Trick, is decent.

But all is not perfect with the former first-round pick (No. 29 overall in 2016). His production is way down from the previous two seasons, despite averaging an NHL career-high 14:00 TOI per game. Frederic has eight goals and 15 points to go along with 42 penalty minutes in 54 games this season. He’s also a career-worst minus-11.

Last season, he had 40 points (18 goals, 22 assists) with 69 PIM playing all 82 games. In 2022-23, Frederic finished with 31 points (17 goals, 14 assists) in 79 games.

“Trent Frederic has generated a ton of interest for a good portion of the season,” The Fourth Period’s Dave Pagnotta said earlier this week. “And [Bruins forward Justin] Brazeau recently as well. They had contract talks with, I believe, both in December. It’s been relatively mild since. So they’re going to kind of see where they are at before they make a decision on selling either of those two players.”

A ton of interest means that the price to acquire Frederic could be too high and turn the Rangers away from trying to land him. But there’s another reason why it’s hard to believe the Rangers will acquire Frederic ahead of the trade deadline.

Reasons why Rangers likely won’t acquire Trent Frederic before trade deadline

According to many around the League, the biggest obstacle here for the Rangers could be the Bruins not wishing to do business with them. Like New York, Boston is fighting for its playoff life in the hotly contested Eastern Conference playoff race.

After a 3-2 comeback win against the Bruins on Wednesday, the Rangers are four points behind them in the Eastern Conference standings, with three games in hand. Neither team is in a playoff spot at present, though each is knocking on the door.

It’s this predicament that makes the Frederic situation so tricky for the Bruins. Trading him for futures won’t help them in the present. Trading him to one of the teams you’re battling with to get into the postseason? Suboptimal at best.

Though not speaking about Frederic specifically, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney explained what a difficult situation he’s in ahead of the trade deadline, choosing between being a buyer or a seller.

“It’s been a little unique for us this year, getting out of the gate not as fast as we would like. We’re in the middle of things. It’s a tough exercise to sort of play both sides of the street,” Sweeney explained.

“You know, if we have more injuries or we don’t do the job between now and the deadline, we may have to take a different path.”

There hasn’t been word recently on a possible contract extension for Frederic, which leaves him in play to be traded ahead of the deadline. Although the Rangers are a good fit, they may wait until the offseason to take a run at him.

“Why wouldn’t the Rangers look into him over the summer?” that former executive said.