Trent Frederic is capable of doing more than fighting, but that very well could be part of his job description Saturday night.
The Boston Bruins, presently decimated by injuries, are set to host the Washington Capitals in the second leg of a back-to-back for both teams. Frederic was called up ahead of Friday’s victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, and for the second night in a row is expected to skate on the right wing of the third line.
Frederic is plenty familiar with fighting, and is responsible for two of the Providence Bruins’ 10 bouts so far this campaign between the regular season and preseason. In his pro career, Frederic has nine fights between the NHL and AHL, according to HockeyFights.com.
So why is this important?
Well, the Washington Capitals have a few skaters that aren’t afraid to drop the gloves — in particular Tom Wilson, who has a demonstrated history of playing recklessly. And as Mark Divver, who covers the P-Bruins closer than anyone, points out that might be one of the reasons the varsity squad chose him for a call up.
Washington has some hard men in Wilson, Gudas, Hathaway. One reason for recall of Frederic, who has beaten the snot out of couple of guys in AHL recently
— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) November 16, 2019
This by no means is to say he’s going to go out and start instigating things. However, given the brand of hockey some of the Caps bring, Frederic might have to be the one of the guys to respond if things get chippy.
