The Edmonton Oilers are in the thick of the Stanley Cup Playoff race and are close to sealing a second straight trip to the Stanley Cup. Yet, questions will arise after the playoffs end, and they may lose one of their depth forwards. Trent Frederic has some options as he chooses the best possible destinations during the 2025 NHL free agency and chooses a team.

After the Boston Bruins traded Frederic to the Oilers, it signaled a new shift for Edmonton. Remember, the Oilers came so close to winning the Stanley Cup last season, only to fail in Game 7. Ultimately, Frederic has done a great job of being physical in the Western Conference Final. So far, he has 16 hits through four games in the Western Conference Final.

While Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl do all the scoring, the Oilers rely on Frederic to eat minutes and lay out hits. Yet, there are questions as to whether he will stay after the playoffs. There are realistically three good destinations for Frederic to choose from.

Trent Frederic chooses Flyers

The Flyers brought back Rick Tocchet to be their head coach, and there is an air of change in the City of Brotherly Love. Now, they will look for a player who fits their system. If the Oilers win the Stanley Cup, Frederic may decide to leave for a team that offers him the most money. Significantly, Frederic would fit well in Tochett's system and operate as a third-line winger.

Frederic can also kill penalties, which Philadelphia struggled with, ranking 20th. If the Flyers were to sign him, they would get an asset on the kill. Frederic was part of a Boston Bruins team that was one of the best penalty kill units in the NHL in 2023-2024. Therefore, that alone would be enticing enough for the Flyers to chase Frederic.

Signing with the Flyers would give him an option for more money. While he is currently finishing a two-year, $4.6 million contract, that could go higher based on his numbers from the 2023-2024 season, when he had 18 goals and 23 assists. Furthermore, a team like the Flyers might take a flyer (pun intended) on him with the belief that he will bounce back. The Flyers also have plenty of cap room ($24-27 million), so that will not be an issue.

Trent Frederic goes to Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs will make drastic changes after yet another playoff loss. Therefore, they could consider someone like Frederic. It would give the Leafs something they lacked, a true gritty player in the bottom six who could score.

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The Leafs would also ideally believe Frederic to be an upgrade over their current third or fourth-line options. Notably, Frederic could alternate roles for the Leafs, going back and forth between the third and fourth lines. But more significantly, Frederic would be a great asset when the playoffs arrive, and the Maple Leafs are attempting to gain puck possession from a team like the Florida Panthers. Remember, that was one of their biggest issues in their second-round loss to the Cats.

The Leafs would ideally offer something around $3 million to Frederic. Ultimately, they might decide he was worth the risk, and someone who could provide supplementary scoring when Auston Matthews and William Nylander were not. Frederic could also head East for the opportunity to face the Boston Bruins four times a season. What a treat that would be.

Choosing a Winner

Of course, the Oilers could end up re-signing Frederic. There are two scenarios where Frederic could potentially re-sign with the Oilers. Frederic helps the Oilers advance to the Stanley Cup Final, where they finally beat the Panthers, and re-signs with a slight increase. Or, the Oilers lose in the Stanley Cup again, and Frederic wants to help them finish the job next time.

Frederic has been solid on the fourth line with Jeff Skinner and Adam Henrique. The best part of playing in Edmonton is that there is not much pressure to score. While the Oilers would welcome his scoring as a bonus, that's not why they traded for him. No, the Oilers traded for Frederic to help match up against some of the Florida Panthers' stars like Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov.

The Oilers are projected to have $12 million in cap space. If they choose to re-sign Frederic, it might not be at the same value that others might give him. Edmonton might offer $2.7 million per season, or opt for a one-year contract. But Frederic is 27 years old, so there are a lot of miles left in him. One team will give him the offer he wants this summer.