Major Oilers trade acquisition injured again, as team’s walking wounded list explodes

This in from the Edmonton, news that major deadline day trade aquisiition Trent Frederic aggravated his existing ankle injury playing against the Los Angeles Kings and won’t be taking the ice against Anaheim tonight. As Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports: “Trent Frederic did not take the morning skate in Anaheim today, after re-injuring his ankle Saturday in LA.”

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Rookie goalie Olivier Rodrigue is also making his first NHL start.

Tony Brar reports the line-up for tonight’s game:

EDM lines & pairings – Monday’s skate:

Podkolzin – RNH – Arvidsson
Hyman – Henrique – Perry
Skinner – Janmark – Brown
McDavid* – Kapanen – Jones

• Note: Draisaitl did take some reps with 93 & 33

Nurse – Walman
Kulak – Bouchard
Stecher – Emberson

Rodrigue
Pickard

My take

1. First John Klingburg, Mattias Ekholm, and Leon Draisaitl now Frederic, the fourth time in the last few weeks that an Edmonton Oilers player has returned to the line-up after a spell of injury only to quickly re-injure himself and have go back to the pressbox.

This is starting to be a most unhappy trend, especially when it’s coupled with other injuries keeping other important players, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Stuart Skinner and Evander Kane — out of the line-up just now, all with the playoffs just two weeks away.

2. If we look at a prospective opening night line-ups for the playoffs, things are starting to look far from OK.

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3. The bad vibe around Frederic intensifies because the Oilers gave up major assets, giving up two prospects, Maximum Wanner and Shane LaChance, as well as a second round and a fourth round draft pick. The Oilers also got Max Jones, who has been playing on the team’s fourth line.

4. McDavid and Draisaitl are still in their hockey primes and will be for a several more years, but Edmonton’s Cup aspirations are complicated by the fact that so many Oilers are in their 30s now, at a time when age and injury often start to catch up to players. That said, Ekholm was playing excellent hockey this year before he got hurt. Kane played impactful hockey in the 2024 playoffs before he went out. It could still be that the Oilers are relatively healthy and good to go heading into the 2025 playoffs. But every bit of news like this latest one with Frederic is most unwelcome. It’s starting to add up to at least a medium level of concern.

At the Cult of Hockey

STAPLES: Top-scoring winger may. have to take seat for playoffs

LEAVINS: 9 Things

STAPLES: Edmonton Oilers shut down and out by gritty L.A. Kings

STAPLES: The Bruce I knew

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