In January, insider Kevin Weekes mentioned Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic as the “type” that the New Jersey Devil may be interested in. As we get closer to the March 7 deadline, Frederick’s name has been discussed more frequently, and although nothing has been confirmed, it has not been confirmed. The conversation is happening.
Related: Devil’s ideal post-trade deadline roster
In any case, the devil needs to avoid Frederic, who may not move the needle enough to pursue it. The 27-year-old Center and Unrestricted Free agent (UFA) has only eight goals and seven assists in 56 games this season, plus a poor minus 14 ratings. Advanced numbers back up ugly superficial numbers: According to Ronno Hockey, he ranks 22nd percentile in league offense and 34th in defense. By every game, he was below average in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Why is he associated with the devil?
Frederic is associated with the devil because they desperately need a center. Justin Dowling, Erik Haula and Curtis Lazar (regular players of all rosters) scored just 20 points in 120 games. After Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, there is a very clear black hole in the center. Dawson Mercer able The play center, but he performed poorly at the point and seemed to be deployed more frequently on the wings.
Over the past few seasons, Frederic seems to be someone who can play the 3C role perfectly on his contender. He scored 17 and 18 goals in 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively. He maintained his defense with a total score of 37 in both seasons…and sometimes even earned the first six minutes.
Some insiders touted his speed and body because the devil should pursue him. However, when it looks deeper, the argument makes sense. According to NHL Edge, his maximum skating speed dropped from 22.75 miles per hour (77%) last season to 22.05 mph (bottom of the league) this season. Most importantly, the Devil is currently ranked fifth in the NHL. “Body” is not a good reason to attract people who don’t really move the needle elsewhere.
Additionally, he only has 43.6% of the game this season and has no special team. The logic makes sense, and if he can go back to his past two seasons, he may still be a useful piece. But the devil is in victory mode now. Now is not the time to carry out projects.
Finally, it’s obvious maximum The problem with the current devils is their lack of consistent scoring and completion, especially since last season’s deadline trade Tyler Toffoli. According to Natural Stat Trick, Frederic scored eight goals on the expected goal of 10.5, meaning he has a 24% less completion rate than he deserves. This will only add to the issue of a Devil team, which scored about 21 goals in the expected games this season.
They no longer have a first-round pick thanks to a deal with Jacob Markstrom and seem unlikely to separate from Frederic for less than a second . So, a second (and maybe more) abandoning Frederick will put the devil at an immediate disadvantage when trying to reach a deal for the first six midstream tay runs.
this The only one The way they should even consider is whether they can continue to UFA Curtis Lazar in the trade and then expand Frederick in the offseason to make him a permanent 4C. However, in the context of larger holes filling, it’s better to wait for Frederic to hit a free agent without having to give up on precious assets.
Tom Fitzgerald, the general manager of the devil, showed extreme patience and had not taken any panic action so far. In the long run, we’ll see if this works.
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