Bruins Trade Rumors: Trent Frederic Linked To NY Rangers

New York Rangers GM Chris Drury has been looking for a certain type of player as he revamps his team. Insider Emily Kaplan said recently "Everything I hear about what Chris Drury wants to do to reshape his team — he's looking for a different identity. Meat and potatoes is a term I've heard a lot."

Another way to refer to it is grittiness and physicality. The trade for JT Miller fits that description to a T (yes, a JT). But there's another player out there on the trade market that is also an ideal Rangers target on this front: Boston Bruins pending UFA Trent Frederic. The bottom-six forward brings about as much grit and grind (meat & potatoes??) as the Rangers could want.

For some reason, the Bruins seem to be balking at offering a reasonable extension for the 26-year-old brute. Sure, he's having a down season offensively with just eight goals after back-to-back years of 18 and 17 goals, but he's still making opponents feel his 6'3", 220-pound frame at a high rate, with 147 hits in 55 games. Last year, he doled out a punishing 204 of them.

And other times, he lets his fists do the talking.

What a tilt between Trent Frederic and Emil Lilleberg.

Frederic has been an absolute bruiser lately and isn't showing any signs of slowing down. pic.twitter.com/zt1G5RSQYx
— Bear With Me (@BearWithMe_Pod) January 15, 2025

The Bruins are just on the outer edge of the playoff picture, two points back of the Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference heading into the resumption of play on Saturday. If they slip farther behind, the Rangers' fight to try to land Frederic could escalate.

As Arthur Staple notes in his latest for The Athletic, "Frederic would be a costly addition, but you’re acquiring a guy like that to keep him for a few years."