Frederic gives Bruins options
Amid the Bruins’ makeover down the middle following the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, which at the moment has Pavel Zacha, Charlie Coyle, Matthew Poitras, and Johnny Beecher filling the center spots, it looks like seventh-year pro Trent Frederic has become a forgotten commodity as a potential pivot.
Drafted as a center in 2016 (No. 29 overall) prior to entering the University of Wisconsin, the 6-foot-3-inch, 220pound Frederic seems slated long term as a winger (currently to the left of Poitras).
“I’ve probably played maybe 30-40 games at center over my [NHL] career,” estimated Frederic, who on Saturday was slated to play his 200th regularseason game. “But I still can do it, and I’m sure there’ll be a time this year, like last year, like when [Tomas] Nosek was hurt, or even in the playoffs . . . I could move there to help out. I like the fact that I think I can play all three positions.”
The Bruins also acquired UFA Morgan Geekie, now settling in on Poitras’s right side, to fill a center’s role on the bottom six. Like Frederic, Geekie has size and heft (6-3/202) but a résumé that projects mainly as a bottom-six contributor. Frederic, who posted a career-high 31 points last season, has the draft pedigree and NCAA record of nearly a point-per game as a center, that projects him higher into the lineup. Potentially.
“Faceoffs last year were a struggle for me,” said Frederic. “I took a bunch in preseason. I’ve worked on it, tried to be better at shaping a strategy. When you’re losing them, you start to try all these different things, different ways to take ’em . . . you know, coming under, coming over, all that. But when you get in a groove, you find out what you’re good at.”
Frederic won only 24 of 72 drops (33.3 percent) last season, too small of a sample size to say much other than, yes, he needs to improve. It’s an area where commitment and work ethic generally pay off.
Joe Thornton, under 50 percent on drops his first three seasons, did not become a consistent, regular winner at the dot until his seventh season with the Bruins, the same season he logged his 500th game.
If Frederic moves higher into the forward corps as a winger now, he’d have to shimmy by Brad Marchand and James van Riemsdyk on the left or David Pastrnak and Jake DeBrusk on the right. Not going to happen. His more viable path to advancement could be at center, though that would necessitate first getting pivot work in the bottom six.
“I’m fine being a winger,” said Frederic, asked if during the summer he felt he’d be more in the mix at center this season. “I’m not married to being a winger or a center. Just the ability to do them all is something I take pride in, and so far I’ve been more successful at wing, statistically. I’m good with that.”