Former Oiler Emerging as a Change-of-Scenery Candidate

The Edmonton Oilers have seen plenty of players — and even front-office members — cross over to the other side of their bitter rivalry with the Los Angeles Kings over the years.

That hasn’t necessarily worked out for many of them, and after it initially appeared to be the right move for Warren Foegele, year two as a King has him back in the rumor mill ahead of the March 6 trade deadline.

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TSN insider Chris Johnston and Harman Dayal recently teamed up to compile a list of under-the-radar trade candidates for The Athletic, which began with Foegele, whose numbers have cratered across the board this season.

Johnston and Dayal wrote:

“If Warren Foegele’s first season in Los Angeles felt like a dream, his second has turned into a nightmare. Opportunity has been a little tougher to come by in Year 2 following the additions of Corey Perry and Joel Armia last summer. Foegele also missed a couple weeks to injury early in the season and hasn’t been able to regain any form since rejoining the lineup. He’s struggled with consistency previously. With Foegele’s production cratering — he has six goals and eight points in 42 games — the Kings made him a healthy scratch for the first time last week.

Still, he remains a strong candidate for a bounce-back. Foegele has a great shot and his shooting percentage has dipped below 10 percent this season. The Kings have only shot 5.2 percent collectively during his even-strength minutes. The risk of acquiring Foegele is also mitigated by the front-loaded nature of his contract, which is already more than two-thirds paid out despite running through next season,”

The 29-year-old Foegele has struggled to the tune of just eight points (six goals, two assists) in 43 games played in 2025-26. He’s in year two of the aforementioned three-year, $10.5 million contract he signed to join the Kings as a UFA in 2024.

Could Edmonton Swing Back on Warren Foegele?

It’s no secret that GM Stan Bowman is searching for a top-nine forward to plug into his lineup. Foegele fits that mold as a solid third-line option, so could a reunion be a possibility?

Trades between the Oilers and Kings don’t happen all that often, and the two teams have yet to link up on a deal since Ken Holland took over as GM in Los Angeles last summer.

That said, Edmonton knows the value of the speed and effort Foegele brings to the table, along with his proven ability to score 15–20 goals in a season. Given that he’s fallen out of favor in L.A., the acquisition cost should be relatively minimal, and at $3.5 million for the remainder of this season and next, it could be well worth taking a flier on a player the organization is very familiar with.

It certainly wouldn’t be the flashiest move and might not excite Oilers fans all that much, but this team already has the superstars and high-end talent. What they need now is to continue building depth and filling holes in order to make another legitimate run at a Stanley Cup.

Next: Predators GM Reveals the Availability of Potential Oilers Trade Target