If you were to characterise Evander Kane as more trouble than he's worth, we would understand this perception based on the majority of his NHL career. However, it also has to be acknowledged that for the most part, he's been a model citizen ever since arriving in Edmonton to join the Oilers in January of 2022.
Yes Kane has still had his moments, but we would contend that most of the so-called drama has instead been caused by and blown out of proportion by the media, as opposed to the player himself. The reality is that he's calmed down a lot, matured, and embraced life in Edmonton.
This doesn't mean that Kane can't still be a pain in the ass, but we actually mean this in a positive sense in terms of how he has the ability to get under the skin of opponents. This is one of the reasons why the Oilers have missed him this season, as he continues to recover from offseason surgery.
A need for more physicality
Another reason the Oilers miss Kane, is because of his physical approach to the game, something which has been sorely lacking this season for the team. As we recently wrote about, the Oilers are ranked dead last in the NHL in hits.
Consider that following Saturday afternoon's home clash with the San Jose Sharks, the Oilers have 448 total hits, at an average of 13.6 per contest. By comparison the team finished 15th last season, with an average of 22.8 hits per game,
Kane was a driving force for the Oilers in this category during the 2023-24 campaign, finishing with a team-leading 250 hits. This season Vasily Podkolzin leads the way with 74 hits through 33 games which, for context, projects to 184 for the regular season as a whole.
With a recent update from Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now indicating Kane will not be back until March at the earliest, this leads to the question of what the Oilers should do to rectify their lack of physicality? One possible solution from The Athletic's Allan Mitchell (subscription required), is to target a physical forward ahead of the Mar. 7 trade deadline.
An intriguing forward option in Boston
More specifically, Mitchell believes Trent Frederic could be just who the Oilers need, and in fairness, the Boston Bruins forward does come across as an intriguing option. Although as always, it does depend on if the team a player currently resides with, will be prepared to trade him.
In this respect, there are no guarantees the Bruins will be looking to move Frederic. While he has yet to fulfil his potential, this is still the same player they thought highly enough of, to select in the first round of the 2016 NHL entry draft.
In terms of the undoubted physicality the 26-year-old would bring to Edmonton, at the time of writing he is second in hits on a Bruins team which is also second in the NHL as a whole in this category. His 103 hits are above anyone on the Oilers, and project to 241 over the course of the season, just nine short of Kane's total from last season. (Incidentally, the 241 hits would also represent a new personal single-season best for Frederic.)
As much as the focus on adding the 6 foot 2, 203 pound Frederic centres around his physical approach to the game, let's be clear in saying there is more to him than this. It's just that, as already noted, he has yet to take full advantage of his potential, which includes excellent offensive skills and strong skating ability.
However, what better way to improve your game, than playing with the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl? Just look at Zach Hyman as a prime example, with how much his productivity has grown since leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs and joining the Oilers.
Money talks as always
One final aspect which of course has to be factored in, is the financial implications. Frederic has a cap hit of $2.3 million and will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer, meaning the Oilers could be giving up assets for someone who will conceivably prove to just be a rental.
As per PuckPedia, at the time of writing the Oilers have just over $1.255 million of cap space and are projected to have nearly $3.497 million of cap room at the trade deadline. And this is before you consider the Kane factor.
With Kane currently being on long-term injured reserve, the Oilers also have his cap hit of $5.125 million which can be conceivably used additionally towards bringing in reinforcements, whether it be Frederic or whoever. However, there is the need to balance the books whenever the polarising winger finally returns from injury.
As we wrote on Thursday though, this challenge/issue could be eradicated, if Kane doesn't actually return until sometime during the playoffs. Not that the Oilers couldn't still afford to trade for Frederic even if Kane does come back prior to the playoffs, particularly depending if and who they send to the Bruins as part of any return package.
Of course ultimately, this is all just conjecture at this stage, with the Oilers on a roll right due to winning 10 of their past 12 games. However, we do still believe that they need to be more physical as the season progresses, so definitely think that Frederic is at least worth inquiring about at some stage in the near future.