Trent Frederic was rolling as an NHL regular for much of the 2021 Boston Bruins season.
But a non-COVID-19 illness brought all of that to a screeching halt.
The young forward became a staple of the B's bottom six, providing reliable defense with the occasional offensive pop and consistent willingness to back things up with his fists.
However, when he got sick, things changed quickly for him. In that time, the Bruins had acquired Curtis Lazar and Taylor Hall from the Buffalo Sabres, making it even harder for him to crack the lineup. Even when he was past the illness, he was a healthy scratch periodically. After playing on April 6, he made just six appearances the rest of the regular season and never played in the postseason.
Just days after signing a two-year deal to remain with the Bruins, he explained what he was going through.
"I don't know exactly what (the illness) was. I had a fever in the 100s for a couple of days," Frederic said over Zoom on Wednesday. It was worse than when I had COVID, to be honest."
The 23-year-old had dealt with the coronavirus last summer prior to the Bruins going to the bubble.
Frederic will get a clean slate next season and will be able to fight for a spot either as a winger (where he played much of last season) or at his natural center position. He's an exciting prospect who just hit a run of bad luck in the home stretch, which marred an otherwise successful season.
