Bruins, Trent Frederic reportedly agree to two-year, $4.6 million contract
The Bruins still need to agree to terms on a new contract with Jeremy Swayman.
On the day of their expected arbitration hearing, both the Bruins and forward Trent Frederic have reportedly bridged the gap on a new contract.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Bruins have signed Frederic to a two-year contract with an annual cap hit of $2.3 million.
Earlier this week, the Bruins and Frederic exchanged arbitration numbers, with the pending restricted free agent asking for a one-year deal at $2.9 million. Boston countered with a two-year deal with a $1.4 million annual cap hit.
Both parties landed in the middle with this new two-year deal, with Frederic earning a solid pay bump from his previous cap hit of $1.05 million.
Even though a hearing with a third-party arbitrator was set for Tuesday, both sides can still negotiate on a new deal in the weeks, days, and hours leading up to said hearing — as was the case with Frederic.
One of the last dominoes still yet to fall in a busy offseason for the Bruins, Frederic is expected to take a larger role on a revamped Boston forward corps in 2023-24. The 25-year-old Frederic is coming off of his best season yet in the NHL, scoring a career-high 17 goals and 31 points over 79 games.
The power forward spent most of the season on the wing as a staple next to Charlie Coyle on Boston’s third line. But with Coyle in line for a potential top-six promotion, a natural center like Frederic could slot over as Boston’s 3C this season, where he will likely compete for reps with free-agent pickup Morgan Geekie.
“I love [Frederic]. I love playing with him. He’s such a great kid,” Coyle said of Frederic’s season back in May. “Great teammate. I really love him as a player. He’s only getting better and better. You can see the strides he’s taken, the confidence that he’s built, and it’s great to see. You can just tell every day he’s working on his game. He’s doing this.
“He’s getting more confident each day. He’s going to have a big summer here, and he’s going to come back and be even better. There’s no question about that. He’s taken some great strides. It’s awesome to see.”
The Bruins need Frederic to take another step forward in his development next season, especially if he’s handed the keys to Boston’s third line. Frederic’s physicality already makes him a key asset further down the lineup, but an added scoring touch could make him an effective bottom-six stalwart for the foreseeable future.
Frederic did shoot 14.2% in 2022-23, a spike from his career average of 10.2%. Still, Frederic made plenty of strides last year in terms of honing his heavy wrist shot and gaining confidence in handling the puck.
According to CapFriendly.com, Boston still has $3.129 million left in cap space this offseason. But the Bruins still need to carve out a new contract for goaltender Jeremy Swayman.
Boston and Swayman held their arbitration hearing on Sunday, with a salary determined by the arbitrator expected to be revealed by Wednesday. Boston reportedly presented a $2 million offer ahead of Sunday’s hearing, while Swayman and his camp countered with $4.8 million.
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