The Edmonton Oilers acquired Warren Foegele in July of 2021 in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for former fan favourite, Ethan Bear. At the time, they were trading away a potential top-four defenceman, but the scouting report on Foegele stated that he had size, speed and decent offence, and it was a risk Edmonton was willing to take to add a depth piece they needed up front. The Oilers’ winger came out strong out of the gates during the 2021-22 campaign, with five points in the first 10 games, but his point production dipped, finishing the season with 26 points in 82 games.
It’s fair to assume that the Oilers would’ve liked more production out of him in the regular season and Foegele probably expected more out of himself. To make matters worse, he managed to only muster a single assist in 13 postseason games and it’s clear that overall, he struggled to find his footing in his first season as an Oiler.
Yet, in the past 15 games, Foegele has emerged as a more confident and assertive player, producing points and earning minutes in the top six. Despite an inconsistent stint over the last season and a half, the Oilers are now reaping the benefits of the trade with Carolina. Bear couldn’t gain traction with the Hurricanes and was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, and Foegele is finally showing to be the scoring depth forward the Oilers had hoped he’d be, just in time for the playoff stretch.
Fogele Has Looked More Confident Over the Last 15 Games
Throughout the last several months, Foegele and his $2.75 million cap hit were the talks of many trade rumours. The Oilers were tight against the cap, and the forward seemed like a logical candidate to be moved; yet, in the end, it was another underperforming forward, Jesse Puljujarvi and his $3 million salary that was traded, just prior to the deadline.
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Still, Foegele’s inconsistency, combined with his salary, led to his name being mentioned in trade rumours. He’d have a great couple of games but lose momentum over the next few. David Staples of the Edmonton Journal spoke of a possible reason for that on the “Oilers Now” show, saying, “When you’re traded for a fan favourite like Ethan Bear, that could be trouble.” He alluded that there’s a pressure that comes with being traded for a player held in high regard from a big fan base, and that…
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