The Boston Bruins recently signed forward Trent Frederic to a two-year contract extension, and after a difficult rookie season, he's motivated to show more during the 2021-22 NHL campaign.
"I think this was just the beginning for my hockey career, and I think I have a lot more to offer," Frederic said Wednesday on a Zoom call with reporters when asked about last season.
"Obviously, I was disappointed that we didn't make it and that we're not playing right now. Obviously, I wanted to help out as well. But everything happens for a reason and sometimes it's out of your control and you just have to keep working hard and work for the next day."
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Illness prevented Frederic from playing a full first season at the NHL level. He played 42 games for the Bruins during the regular season, tallying four goals and one assist. He did not make an appearance in any of the team's 11 Stanley Cup playoff games, even though the fourth line struggled during the second-round series versus the New York Islanders.
Frederic was a first-round pick of the Bruins in 2016 -- the same draft where they took defenseman Charlie McAvoy at No. 14 overall. The B's took Federic a little higher than he was projected to be drafted, and in the last five years, he hasn't made the kind of on-ice impacted expected of a first-round selection.
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One of the Bruins' primary weaknesses over the last several seasons has been a lack of scoring depth. One of the ways Frederic can make a profound impact on next year's Bruins squad is giving the bottom-six forward group the boost of scoring it desperately needs.
Frederic has the right attitude, though. He wants a larger role and is willing to work for it.
"That's what I'm striving towards. I've got a lot of work to become that," he said. "I think I have the ability to become it and I think I will, but obviously, I have some work to do for that."