The 28-year-old forward is rediscovering a resurgence under the new coaching staff

If the expectation was for big, bad Mike Babcock to bully his way into the Edmonton Oilers dressing room and pick a whipping boy to take out his frustrations after taking over as head coach, it hasn’t happened.

And if ever there was a player with a target on his back for such royal treatment, Trent Frederic would have to be in the running.

After all, the guy had just signed a brand new eight-year, $30.8-million contract, and followed it up by averaging a point per month with four goals and three assists last season.

But that was then, this is now and the 28-year-old forward is rediscovering a resurgence of sorts under the new coaching staff, getting more involved, throwing the body, dropping the gloves and just being an all-around good soldier.

For his efforts, he was promoted from the fourth line up to the second ahead of Thursday’s game against the Utah Mammoth at Rogers Place.

And the big, bad coach has had nothing but patience and understanding so far, not to mention good things to say about his player.

“I think Freddy’s a good man. I think his confidence took a beating last year with the injuries,” Babcock said of Frederic’s rehabilitation from an ankle injury prior to being acquired from the Boston Bruins at the 2024-25 trade deadline. “And we’ve got to get his confidence back.

“I mean, it’s simple. Play a simple game, straight ahead, forecheck, run people over, get to the net, stop on defence. So, he’s just got to get feeling good about himself so it reflects in his play.”

It’s tough to be the Big Bad Wolf when you’re holding pom-poms.

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