The Boston Bruins have made their first trade ahead of Friday's deadline, sending forwards Trent Frederic and Max Jones to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick, and defense prospect Max Wanner.
The second-round pick that the Bruins are getting originally belonged to the St. Louis Blues, so it should be a little higher than the Oilers' own pick. The fourth-round pick is Edmonton's.
The Bruins are retaining 50% of Frederic's $2.3 million cap hit as part of the deal. The New Jersey Devils, as a third-party broker, are then retaining 50% of what's left and will get forward prospect Shane Lachance (a sophomore captain at Boston University) from Edmonton in return. The cap-strapped Oilers will ultimately take on just a $575,000 cap hit for Frederic as a result.
Frederic is currently week-to-week with a lower-body injury, but it is not expected to be season-ending. The Oilers were obviously comfortable enough with the medicals to still make the trade.
Frederic, a pending unrestricted free agent, is in the midst of a down season, with eight goals and 15 points in 57 games. Last year, he had a career-high 18 goals and 40 points. Still, his track record and physicality made him an appealing trade target for contenders looking for bottom-six help.
Jones signed a two-year, $1 million AAV contract with the Bruins over the summer, but was never able to catch on in Boston. He had zero points and eight penalty minutes in seven NHL games this season.
Wanner, 21, was originally a seventh-round pick by Edmonton in 2021. He is a 6-foot-3, 185-pound right-shot defenseman who is in his second season in the AHL, posting a goal and an assist in 22 games for the Bakersfield Condors this season.
Wanner is regarded as a physical, defense-first blue-liner. In January, The Athletic ranked him as the Oilers' No. 10 prospect, with Scott Wheeler writing that he could develop into a depth defenseman at the NHL level. Wanner will report to AHL Providence.
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