Oilers’ Trent Frederic gets vocal on Florida Panthers’ nasty ‘chirping’ following Stanley Cup loss

Edmonton Oilers forward Trent Frederic didn’t hold back when asked about the Florida Panthers’ postgame trash talk. On Thursday morning, nearly a day after the Oilers’ Game 6 loss, Frederic acknowledged the Panthers’ reputation for “chirping,” leaving him unimpressed.

“Yeah, there’s some chirping going around, going on,” Frederic told reporters. “I don’t think it’s anything crazy, like, anything more different than when, whenever I’ve played Florida in the past, and I’ve played them three years in a row.”

Frederic kept his comments measured, and he made it clear he wasn’t rattled by Florida’s talk.

“I don’t know, I guess they like to run, run their mouth, but I don’t think they’re, you know, anything different than the last couple of years,” Frederic said.

Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk took a jab at the Oilers in his postgame comments, pointing to their reliance on Connor McDavid.

“Our team was a team,” Tkachuk said about Oilers dependency on their captain. “When things were getting hard for them, they looked to one guy (McDavid). But our team, we do it collectively … (and) that’s why we’re lifting the Stanley Cup right now.”

Florida didn’t let the Panthers take the lead in the final two games and relied on deep contributions to seal back-to-back championships. Sam Bennett earned Conn Smythe honors with 15 playoff goals, while six Panthers scored at least 20 points in the postseason.

Frederic, acquired by Edmonton at the trade deadline from Boston, played his first postseason with the Oilers after missing most of the regular season due to injury. Though limited to one game before the playoffs, he returned in time to appear in all 22 postseason contests. He finished with one goal and three assists, adding size and grit to the Oilers’ bottom six.

NHL insider hinted at a potential Trent Frederic signing by the Oilers

Trent Frederic is close to signing an eight-year deal with the Oilers. The deal is expected to be worth between $3.5 and $4 million per year, according to Elliotte Friedman. Frank Seravalli later confirmed it through a post on X, saying the deal is almost done.

“Don’t expect the #Oilers to announce a deal in the near future as they’re engaging in talks with other current roster players, but as has been speculated, expect Trent Frederic’s next deal to come in at 8 years and north of $3.5m but south of $4m in AAV,” Seravalli’s tweet reads.

The Oilers believe Frederic can help the team long-term. The team sees value in Frederic’s size, effort and physical style of play.