Oilers’ GM Stan Bowman gets bluntly honest on locking Trent Frederic for 8-years over ‘older’ Evander Kane 

The Edmonton Oilers signed their newly acquired forward Trent Frederic to an eight-year contract on Friday. His deal is worth $3.85 million per year. Frederic is 27 years old and gives the team a younger option moving forward. He played in all 22 playoff games this season and scored one goal and three assists.

Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman spoke with the media on Sunday. He said the decision to keep Frederic and move on from Evander Kane was mostly about age.

“I think Evander’s been that kind of player his whole career," Bowman said. "The biggest difference between him and Freddie really comes down to age. Evander’s older, but he played very admirably in the playoffs—I’ve got to give him a lot of credit. I really enjoyed getting to know him. He’s a competitive guy."

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The Oilers traded Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday. In return, they received a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft. Kane has one year left on his contract. He missed the entire regular season due to injuries but returned for the playoffs, where he scored 12 points in 21 games.

Bowman said the decision was also about salary cap flexibility. Frederic’s younger age gives the team more time to work with him.

"Ultimately, it came down to cap flexibility more than anything else, and the fact that Frederick is quite a bit younger," Bowman said. "That gives us a longer runway to work with. But the physical element Evander brings—that presence—was important in our playoff push, and we think it’ll continue to be important moving forward."

Trent Frederic was traded to the Oilers on March 4. He came from the Boston Bruins, where he played for seven seasons. He ranked fourth in hits and fifth in blocked shots among Oilers forwards in the playoffs, while averaging just over 11 minutes of ice time per game.

Trent Frederic calls Edmonton a 'hockey heaven'

Trent Frederic spoke about the Edmonton Oilers after signing an eight-year extension with the team.

"I’m fortunate enough that I get to do it for a living and play in front of all the Edmonton fans at Rogers Place..." Frederic said, via NHL.com. "It's a hockey heaven. It's everything you can dream of as a hockey player, and I believe that we're going to have a great team.

Frederic believes the Oilers have a strong team and a real chance to win. He also looks forward to gaining more experience in the coming years.