Hockey insider, Sportsnet personality and the 32 Thoughts Podcast co-host Elliotte Friedman has stated several times that NHL teams have contacted Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney to inquire about their intentions regarding pending unrestricted free agent Trent Frederic.
TSN’s hockey insider Darren Dreger is now reporting similar developments.
Sweeney noted he spoke with Frederic’s representatives on September 30 about an extension. Nearly three months later, there is still no signed contract. A player is justified in wanting the best deal possible. With the salary cap expected to be between $92 million and $97 million, this could drag on. And on.
Sweeney faces a tough situation. If he doesn’t sign Frederic before the trade deadline, he risks losing him to free agency without any compensation. This is why other teams are showing interest.
Frederic is often associated with the St. Louis Blues (by fans) because it is his hometown team. This season, the Blues have significant cap space available due to long-term injury reserve. A source familiar with the situation would not confirm whether St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong has spoken with Sweeney but did mention internal discussions. Both Armstrong and Sweeney are part of the Team Canada management team for the Olympics. And they have been involved in the past with long trade negotiations that did not come to fruition.
The source also said that former Bruins coach turned Blues coach Jim Montgomery is very much in favor of the player. Frederic had his best seasons under Montgomery but struggled out of the gate as most Bruins did this season. For Frederic, those struggles have continued under interim coach Joe Sacco, but to a lessor extent.
Sacco has tried everything he can. He has increased Frederic’s ice time and he has responded with a slight increase in production, blocked shots and hits. In the 14 games since Sacco took over, Frederic has not taken a penalty in 13 of them, a far cry from the unnecessary penalties he took under Montgomery.
On the flip side, his takeaways have dipped substantially while his giveaways have had a major uptick. He is on pace for just 12 goals and 14 assists which would be his lowest since 2021-22 when he had 8 goals and 10 assists in 60 games, which just happens to be the same pace he is on now.
Even with a minimum 5% increase on the cap for next season, the Blues may find themselves in a favorable position to make the deal work financially. However, they will likely seek some salary relief and want to send money back to the Bruins. Their draft situation for 2025 is not strong, holding only three picks: a first, a fifth, and a seventh round picks. While their prospect pool is good, the Bruins will probably prefer acquiring a younger player who can contribute both now and in the future.
Personally, I have a hard time finding a deal between the two teams that would satisfy both sides. And I also believe that Sweeney would rather hold onto Frederic at the right price and hope his game gets back to where it was.
Here’s a look at where our friends at Benchrates put Frederic’s contributions at:
Join us live at 6:30 ET for the What’s Bruin podcast on Sunday December 22 as we will dive deeper into this. You can find us on YouTube of on X.
Dom - Hockey 