If Mike Babcock was going to healthy scratch somebody in the Edmonton Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers#google_vignette], it was going to be Trent Frederic watching from the press box. Frederic was scratched against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, following several games where Babcock had been asking his bottom six to play harder, win puck battles, and do something with the puck when they had it. The 28-year-old has struggled to find his place in Edmonton's lineup, and despite dropping the gloves, Babcock thinks he could do a little more during the other 59 minutes of a hockey game. “He couldn't walk around town for crying out loud. He did such a good job, and we respect that,” Babcock said, referring to Frederic's fight against Jack McBain in his last game. “But there's certain things that we just expect from him, and we've gone through and laid it out as clear as you can be, and we expect that. And so that's what we're looking for.” Frederic fought McBain after the Utah forward cross-checked Leon Draisaitl in the teams' previous game. Zach Hyman called him a warrior afterward, and Babcock praised the way his players handled the situation themselves. And then Frederic was scratched. So Frederic has finally reached a point where he is willing to stand up for his teammates, but Edmonton didn't sign Frederic long-term just to have somebody who can fight when the occasion calls for it. What's become glaringly obvious is that the Oilers' bottom three lines need to be harder on the puck, spend more time in the offensive zone, and play a hard-checking role. Frederic is supposed to be pretty good at all of that. “Just playing harder. Being hard on the puck is the message,” Frederic said when asked what Babcock wanted from him. "They Were More Competitive Than Us:" Oilers Get Outworked By Leafs [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/c5a49ecd-9c97-4fd7-a732-58d5c34d76b6.jpeg] "They Were More Competitive Than Us:" Oilers Get Outworked By Leafs There are bad games, and then there's whatever the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers#google_vignette">Edmonton Oilers</a> did on Saturday night. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/latest-news/they-were-more-competitive-than-us-oilers-get-outworked-by-leafs] Easy enough for a player whose role was to bring physicality to the lineup. Edmonton had just four even-strength shots through the first two periods against Carolina, and McDavid and Draisaitl combined for 10 points in the 6-5 shootout win. “Our toughness on the puck wasn't even close,” Babcock said afterward. “In saying that, the big boys came out in the third and brought their crowbars with them and they had the puck, they were competitive. We needed our bottom six to be more like that tonight.” Frederic wasn't playing, of course, but you've got to imagine he was listening. “Just like anyone, everyone wants to play. Everyone wants to play more. Everyone wants to score more. That's just human nature. That's why everyone's at this level,” Frederic said. “You listen to the coach and take the news, and you listen to what he has to say and his insight. And he has pretty good insight, so you just gotta take that, and hopefully it doesn't happen again.” Oilers Beat Cup Champs, McDavid Breaks Records, Babcock Still Not Happy [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/e61f1ef8-8e9a-4059-b6e1-a70e5eeeb2aa.jpeg] Oilers Beat Cup Champs, McDavid Breaks Records, Babcock Still Not Happy Mike Babcock is probably going to spend most of Friday explaining to his players why Thursday's win over the Carolina Hurricanes wasn't good enough. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/latest-news/oilers-beat-cup-champs-mcdavid-breaks-records-babcock-still-not-happy] For Frederic to return to the lineup, he needs to win battles, finish checks, keep plays alive in the offensive zone, and earn Babcock's trust. He's got a reasonable perspective on the situation, even if being scratched is understandably frustrating. “I have people I talk to, (like my) family. At the end of the day, I'm healthy. I have a good life, and I know I'm a good hockey player, and I know I'll get this going,” Frederic said. “It's just like I say, it can be frustrating, but at the same time, (I gotta) work my hardest, do the best I can.” Frederic is right to be confident in his ability to get things going, although he's going to have to show Babcock something pretty soon. The Oilers have been playing well, they're getting healthier, and the competition is only going to increase as more players return. See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source [https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=thehockeynews.com]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
