Player Discussion Trent Frederic

[EvilDead]

Very easy to be a draft expert 8 years after the fact.

Banging on the Bruins for not picking Bratt (#162) or Hagel (#159) when they went after pick 100 is so lame.

I would argue it is a fair criticism of a team that was, and still is to an extent, in desperate need of key pieces to be a cup contender for the future. Especially given the fact that the majority of picks made under Sweeney haven't panned out given what they could've gotten. You can try and polish this turd all you like. I'm certainly not going to stop you. The reality is, however, that the Bruins have been middle of the pack, at best, when it comes to rebuilding through the draft.

The fact that they went much later means the scouting network in the entire league is not as robust as it should be apparently.

Adam Fox should have been a top 10 pick Then again it may not have mattered as he ultimately forced his way to where he wanted to go (Rangers).

You are drafting 18 year olds paying in very different leagues against very different levels of opposing talent. Scouting is never perfect. there will always be guys in the top 5 who end up bombing, and their will always be a few guys drafted after the first round who end up breaking out in a big way.

Frederick has become exactly the player they wanted when they took him. Sure it took longer to get there than they might have liked, and yeah his face off percentage could still improve.

Again...that's not disproving my argument. It in fact strengthens it. It means there were more NHL ready players at positions of need and the Bruins reached. Just like they did with others in recent memory. The Bruins haven't had a great draft since Chiarelli.

 

[KillerMillerTime]

He could be a better version of Bennett but there is a clear disconnect somewhere for him.

No way as Bennett is a faster skater and an elite bodychecker.

 

[gerrycheeversmask]

No way as Bennett is a faster skater and an elite bodychecker.

And Bennett can also shoot it when he's not playing with a broken hand.

 

[False Start]

He's learned a lot from Coyle in terms of puck possession and play making.

With that, he's gone away from being a physical menace and doesn't really look to lay a hit but rather use his long stick for defending and causing chaos on breakouts.

He's got a really high velocity wrist shot that he uses somewhat often. It's not the quickest release but he's able to beat goalies somewhat regularly.

That said he's probably at best a middle six winger / bottom six at the moment, but able to play PK. I don't think he's looked great playing up in the lineup but that's not to say he cannot improve his game at his age.

Ross Colton had identical production on Tampa's bottom six before signing his contract.

 

[BruinDust]

4x$4M? Probably the right ballpark.

His GPG and PPG last year were essentially exactly the same as Danton Heinen and folks don't want him to get more than 2 years at 2 million per.

Does "snarl" get you double the money and twice the term?

 

[Over the volcano]

He could be a better version of Bennett but there is a clear disconnect somewhere for him.

Bennett's a different animal - 4th overall pick who didn't crack 40pts till in his 8th season and on his second team. He also plays like a dick which Frederic just isn't. Frederic will challenge guys but won't go after non-fighters or sucker guys the way Bennett has built his career around.

 

[False Start]

His GPG and PPG last year were essentially exactly the same as Danton Heinen and folks don't want him to get more than 2 years at 2 million per.

Does "snarl" get you double the money and twice the term?

I mean like it or not, size players and players that play more physical typically do get paid more.

 

[Over the volcano]

His GPG and PPG last year were essentially exactly the same as Danton Heinen and folks don't want him to get more than 2 years at 2 million per.

Does "snarl" get you double the money and twice the term?

Dunno but he was also essentially exactly the same as Debrusk last year so . . .

 

[BruinDust]

I mean like it or not, size players and players that play more physical typically do get paid more.

No doubt.

 

[RiverbottomChuck]

No way as Bennett is a faster skater and an elite bodychecker.

Totally agree but Freddy has the tools to be menacing like that just no will to

 

[NDiesel]

Again...that's not disproving my argument. It in fact strengthens it. It means there were more NHL ready players at positions of need and the Bruins reached. Just like they did with others in recent memory. The Bruins haven't had a great draft since Chiarelli.

The issue here is you're complaining that they reach on guys like Freddy then giving examples of guys like Hagel and Bratt picked in round 6 saying they were available instead....those would have been massive reaches in round 1, it's 100% hindsight on your part.

 

[Over the volcano]

The issue here is you're complaining that they reach on guys like Freddy then giving examples of guys like Hagel and Bratt picked in round 6 saying they were available instead....those would have been massive reaches in round 1, it's 100% hindsight on your part.

It's funny watching the comps used to try and knock him down a peg - it's either 6th rounders who were huge surprise finds or Bennett who was a huge disappointment from his draft.

 

[Beyonder]

I'm divided about Frederic.

On the one hand, he has matured a lot during his years in Boston. He's not a liability as far as taking penalties and the antics from his first season have subsided. His offensive game has obviously developed to the point where he is a respectable 3rd liner. There are times when it looks like he could break through to be more. You couldn't simply discard him without creating a hole.

On the other hand, his aggressiveness has waned a good deal. He's a capable physical player, he can handle himself, but he's not a dominating forechecker, not in the way we see from the Florida squad. He doesn't really punish the other team either. His lack of finish is also noticeable at the wrong times. How many times did he have the puck on his stick in prime position during the Panthers series only to not be able to score the clutch goal?

As far as where he was drafted, that is a non-issue at this point, right? He was a first rounder who is an everyday NHL player and he's decent. When you look at the number of players drafted in the top 20 in the past 10 years who have 0 NHL games or are not regulars, it's not a small number. From the 2016 draft, think Buffalo would rather have Frederic than Alex Nylander? Maybe the Islanders would prefer him to Kiefer Bellows? Etc. In fact, one could say the Bruins are lucky they didn't take about 10 guys on the board drafted above Frederic.

All that said, he's not one of the priority issues for the Bruins to address unless he prices himself out of his role in Boston when his current deal is up. They have bigger roster issues to worry about. With the turnover the past couple years, there hasn't been a chance to form a third line with a clear identity and continuity. Maybe next year they can build a third line around Frederic + Geekie + a player I don't think they currently have, somebody with speed, jam, and some offense (sorry, to me that's not Lauko or Heinen - but maybe it's Joshua or similar).

I don't see the comparisons to Bennett and that's just not the kind of player Boston currently has on the roster. I don't know that you will find much success with trying to coax Frederic to be more like Bennett. The similarities are superficial. The goal for next season is to push Frederic to be the best version of himself, to be more consistent, and to build out that third line to have a clear makeup and style from Game 1 next season forward. If they can get to that I think fans will be happy.

 

[Sheppy]

I don't think Trent Frederic is the guy we expect him to be. Especially in the playoffs.

We can argue all day about his regular season play, which is fine, but he goes into a shell in the playoffs. Look at the two series against Florida. 1 assist in 11 games, -4.

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

A lot of this discourse on Freddy is people wanting him to be something he's not. What he is is an excellent even strength play driver with top tier even strength results. Plus he's a plus PKer.

Here is a partial list of forwards who had fewer 5v5 points than Trent Frederic last year (he was T73 among all forwards, tied with Claude Giroux), and I didn't include players who didn't play enough games like Eichel:

John Tavares
Adrian Kempe
William Karlsson
Roope Hintz
Joel Eriksson-Ek
Ryan O'Reilly
Anze Kopitar
Steven Stamkos
Sean Monahan
Martin Necas
Jamie Benn
Chris Kreider
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Alex Ovechkin
Anders Lee
Brad Marchand

I could go on...but I still don't think people get what we have in him.

 

[Over the volcano]

I don't think Trent Frederic is the guy we expect him to be. Especially in the playoffs.

We can argue all day about his regular season play, which is fine, but he goes into a shell in the playoffs. Look at the two series against Florida. 1 assist in 11 games, -4.

4th on the club in even strength pts this year- just one point behind DeBrusk, Pastrnak and Zacha.

If he's not the we expect him to be its because we want him to be either a 4th line terror or a forward who gets time and chips in on the PP.

 

[Sheppy]

4th on the club in even strength pts this year- just one point behind DeBrusk, Pastrnak and Zacha.

If he's not the we expect him to be its because we want him to be either a 4th line terror or a forward who gets time and chips in on the PP.

Absolutely. No issues there.

I just want to see him bring it in the post season.

 

[LouJersey]

I loved college Freddy, was very critical of his beginning here but I love the player and what he's becoming. I feel he was more noticeable in the play-offs and really would lock him up long term..I believe he has not even come close to his ceiling.

 

[CellyHard]

I don't think Trent Frederic is the guy we expect him to be. Especially in the playoffs.

We can argue all day about his regular season play, which is fine, but he goes into a shell in the playoffs. Look at the two series against Florida. 1 assist in 11 games, -4.

Come on this is cherry picking stats and you know it. He had 3 goals agains the leafs and he actually had two assists against the panthers this year

I really don’t get what people want more out of Frederic…5 points in 13 games and he led the team with a +5. He had 53 hits…

Was he great? No but he was good. Much better than last year, which is a step in the right direction. At the end of the day, he’s a 3rd liner and that’s what we got

 

[Over the volcano]

Absolutely. No issues there.

I just want to see him bring it in the post season.

That was in the post season this year

 

[Sheppy]

Come on this is cherry picking stats and you know it. He had 3 goals agains the leafs and he actually had two assists against the panthers this year

I really don’t get what people want more out of Frederic…5 points in 13 games and he led the team with a +5. He had 53 hits…

Was he great? No but he was good. Much better than last year, which is a step in the right direction. At the end of the day, he’s a 3rd liner and that’s what we got

He was better than he was last year, no doubt. Also, I was credited with 25 hits and I wasn't even playing. Guys were getting imaginary hits added left and right in those series, it seemed.

Selfishly, I just wanted to see him be better against the Panthers. I think he was fine against the Leafs, but once again left a lot to be desired against the Cats. That said, a lot of players did and it wasn't just Frederic.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

I would argue it is a fair criticism of a team that was, and still is to an extent, in desperate need of key pieces to be a cup contender for the future. Especially given the fact that the majority of picks made under Sweeney haven't panned out given what they could've gotten. You can try and polish this turd all you like. I'm certainly not going to stop you. The reality is, however, that the Bruins have been middle of the pack, at best, when it comes to rebuilding through the draft.Again...that's not disproving my argument. It in fact strengthens it. It means there were more NHL ready players at positions of need and the Bruins reached. Just like they did with others in recent memory. The Bruins haven't had a great draft since Chiarelli.

Not true.

He was better than he was last year, no doubt. Also, I was credited with 25 hits and I wasn't even playing. Guys were getting imaginary hits added left and right in those series, it seemed.

Selfishly, I just wanted to see him be better against the Panthers. I think he was fine against the Leafs, but once again left a lot to be desired against the Cats. That said, a lot of players did and it wasn't just Frederic.

The league changed the definition of a hit late in the season.

The stat seems even more useless now than it was before.

 

[Absurdity]

Frederic reminds me a lot of David Backes which isn't a bad thing. He's not overtly physical but is not afraid to drop them when needed and is more than willing to.

To me, he isn't fast enough on the forecheck to play wing and his play fits more at center. His 5v5 production is great for a 3rd liner, and while he took a big leap this season, can he be more than that? He is under contract for one more season, and while I don't foresee him breaking the bank when he's a UFA, I think Sweeney needs to decide if he is going to be a part of the future core or not.

 

[CellyHard]

He was better than he was last year, no doubt. Also, I was credited with 25 hits and I wasn't even playing. Guys were getting imaginary hits added left and right in those series, it seemed.

Selfishly, I just wanted to see him be better against the Panthers. I think he was fine against the Leafs, but once again left a lot to be desired against the Cats. That said, a lot of players did and it wasn't just Frederic.

He’s just become underrated on these boards and idk why. I get he could have been better against the cats but everyone could have been it’s why they lost. Team game. I don’t get how the blame should be on Trent, out of anyone.

When you have Coyle and Geekie in your top six and Zacha with only one goal, it’s just not enough to beat better teams.

Any 3rd liner who gets 40 points with 13 minutes of ice time who plays physical and sticks up for teammates this board drools over except Trent gets tossed in as an add on in Ullmark trades for guys like Mercer around here. It’s weird.

Then you have Lawson Crouse who averages like 3 more minutes of ice time a game with the same amount of points that we would trade our first born sons for. It’s bizarre

 

[NDiesel]

The amount of guys with 35+ points and 200+ hits last season has gotta be pretty small, no? And at 2.3 mil I'm not sure what else you could expect from him. Finally stepped it up and got 5 points these playoffs too including a few big goals.

EDIT: If what I'm drawing from statmuse is correct only these guys fit the criteria this year:

Frederic
Jt Miller
Tom Wilson
Tolvanen
B. Tkachuk
Seider
E. Kane

Even if you change the criteria to 30 points only Joshua and Pionk are added. Frederic the least toi/g of the entire list.