Last Year
It was an interesting year for Warren Foegele last year, he played in only 67 games, missing a handful due to injury but also a few due to healthy scratches part way through the season. Being a healthy scratch isn’t a great look when you are a player making $2.75 million per season. Though Foegele had his fair share of downs, throughout his 67 games where he only managed to average 12:42 TOI per game he still managed to tie a career high in goals with 13. He also was only 2 points shy of tying his career high as he finished the season with 28 points while splitting time between the third and fourth lines, with virtually zero time on the power play.
Foegele tended to bounce back and forth between hot streak and cold streak, every now and then watching on TV you could mistake the 37 on his jersey for 97 as he came flying through the neutral zone into the attacking zone. Then for weeks at a time, it was hard to even notice his number 37 skating around out on the ice. Consistency has been Foegele’s struggle throughout much of his NHL career, but he has more than enough skill to warrant him a spot in an NHL line up on a nightly basis.
Even with hot streaks and cold streaks throughout the season, he has still managed in every one of his five full seasons in the NHL to score between 10-13 goals. If you’re looking for good grouping, he is hitting that dart board in the same spot every year with pretty remarkable consistency.
So to get it straight, week to week can be very hot and cold, season over season though, very consistent.
As far as his assists and points go, they’ve been fairly consistent as well, usually somewhere in the 13-17 Assist range every year. Leaving him between 25-30 points most seasons. Even though during the season it can be frustrating to see his game disappear for spurts, he continually produces at the same rate given limited ice time.
This Year
The past few seasons in Edmonton, Foegele has not received major time on either the PK or the PP. This coming season with the addition of Connor Brown being the only real major change, I don’t foresee Foegele getting a lot of opportunity on the PK. The power play certainly won’t be changing from last year, so Foegele will have to make do producing at even strength. Working on his consistency to move up from being a 3rd or 4th liner to a solid 3rd line player. Him becoming consistent could do wonders for the Oiler’s playoff aspirations.
This season Foegele will be battling it out on the wings for spots on the third line with the likes of young guys like Raphael Lavoie and Dylan Holloway. Lavoie has yet to play in an NHL game, and Holloway battled injury and didn’t produce out of the gate as a rookie before being sent back to Bakersfield. With the big contract in hand compared to those two young guys Foegele certainly has the inside track for the 3rd line left wing spot. Talking about Foegele’s remarkable consistency points wise over the course of the season every year, the Oiler’s can pretty much lock in at least 10 goals and 25 points from him.
As the season progresses and the Oiler’s begin pushing for a playoff spot, if it looks like either of Holloway or Lavoie can fill that role and get close to that same level of production, it could be the end of the line for Foegele in Edmonton. I love Foegle, he is a good, bona fide NHL player but if the Oiler’s are looking to push for the Stanley Cup and one of the two young players can comfortably fill his spot at even strength. The cap savings start to play a significant factor. Foegele would have value on the trade block come the trade deadline. You wouldn’t have to add a sweetener or retain salary, and you could potentially add a pick or two the the draft cupboards that are looking pretty bare right now in Edmonton as the focus has shifted to winning the Stanley Cup.
If the Oilers can add to their prospects and free up cap space by trading Foegele, while feeling confident one of the young guys can cover his production. It would open up cap space for the Oilers to then go out at the deadline and acquire help maybe on the back end, or help for the PK if it struggles like it did last year. He could be the key to unlocking the Oiler’s potential. Only time can tell.
Projection
Foegele will get traded before the deadline to open up cap space but will score 9-10-19 in 50 GP for the Oilers before his trade.
Next Up
Dylan Holloway
Rig City Sports 
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