Trent Frederic Feeling Pressure to Produce for Bruins in Contract Year

BOSTON — Trent Frederic scored twice on Saturday afternoon for the Boston Bruins, and he knows he needs to score more.

Goals have been few and far between this year for Frederic this year, who says he’s feeling pressure to produce with his contract expiring at the end of this season.

“I’d like to say no, but I mean, you never know, maybe a little bit internally,” Frederic said after Boston’s 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden on Saturday. “I feel like every year I’ve been in the NHL, I’ve been fighting to stay in and get another contract. I don’t know if that’s just in my head, but that’s how it feels. You see guys get replaced easily in the NHL. It’s like that every year. There’s definitely a little bit, but nothing crazy.”

Through 29 games, Frederic is sitting on just 11 points and five goals. His two goals on Saturday were his first in nine games.

Frederic’s contract situation has made his name one that has frequently appeared in NHL trade rumors early this year. In theory, the Bruins should have plenty of teams interested in trading for the forward, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer for the first time in his career at only 27 years old.

However, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Frederic’s struggles on the ice have left potential suitors unsure whether or not the Bruins even want to re-sign him in the first place, which could severely impact what the team gets back for him in a trade.

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The real uncertainty, though, lies with Frederic.

He’s far from the only player on the Bruins who has underperformed. But after establishing a standard for himself with a career season last year, his lack of production is the most glaring.

Many of the Bruins, though, have begun to find their form under new interim head coach Joe Sacco, who believes that Frederic’s performance on Saturday is an indication that he may soon, too.

“He started to move his feet better as the game went on,” said Sacco. “He was direct, and he was attacking the net. I just noticed him around the net front quite a bit, and that’s a good sign for Freddie.”

Sacco has the Bruins playing a more physical brand of hockey than they were earlier in the year under former head coach Jim Montgomery. That strategy bodes especially well for Frederic, whose grinding style fits in with his new linemates, Charlie Coyle and Mark Kastelic.

“They’re confident guys, and they’re easy to play with,” said Frederic. “They’re straight-line players. [Coyle] finds a lot and Kasty is the same way. We can make a good amount of plays out there. We’ve done that the last so many games, and I feel like [Sacco] kind of believes in us as a good defensive line, so it’s nice to have that as well.

Boston is in the midst of its best stretch so far this season, with their win over the Flyers their fourth in a row.

Getting Frederic to start producing on a more consistent basis is critical for the team moving forward, but it’s even more so for Frederic himself.

Next summer isn’t as far off as it seems.

“I think when the team does well, I feel like it’s good for individuals, and we’ve been playing well,” Frederic said. “We’ve been winning. Anytime that happens, I feel like, as an individual, you feel good about yourself.”