Revisiting Edmonton Oilers Trade: Bear for Foegele

On July 28, 2021, the Edmonton Oilers traded Ethan Bear to the Carolina Hurricanes for forward Warren Foegele. Bear, 24, was moved just days after the Oilers announced the re-signing of D man Tyson Barrie, and the team used the fan favorite as a moveable asset to help fill out the forward group, and they did just that adding 26 year old Warren Foegele, who had 20 points in 53 games with the Hurricanes during the 20-21 season.

Since swapping teams, the Hurricanes have been a dominant force, and the Oilers seemed to have gotten stronger offensively, but it’s not too hard to see who won the trade overall. Foegele has 23 points through 71 games with the Oilers, adding 22 PIMS and a -11 in a middle 6 role, but more recently being the offensive player on the fourth line. Bear on the other hand, has 13 points through 51 games with the Hurricanes, and a +5, often playing top 4 pairing minutes with one of the stronger D cores in the NHL.

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It’s quite obvious that both teams agreed to this swap as a way to fill needs for both respective sides. The Oilers needed depth up front, and adding Warren Foegele helped, while the Hurricanes needed defensemen, and Bear was a significant add to their blue line. With Edmonton locking up Barrie, acquiring Keith, and signing Ceci, along with the likes of Bouchard, Nurse, Broberg & Russell fighting for lineup spots, somebody was getting traded, unfortunately that somebody was Ethan Bear.

The Hurricanes currently sit atop the metro division with a 45-17-8 record, 2 points ahead of the Rangers in a tight race for first. The Oilers are second in the pacific, with a 41-25-5 record, and it looks like they will have home ice advantage come playoff time, so it’s clear the trade helped both teams overall, but I truly think the Hurricanes came out with the better deal.

Ethan Bear is a free agent after this season, but I will not be surprised if he re-ups with Carolina. Foegele on the other hand was given an extension before the season started, so he’ll be an Oiler through the prime years of the team attempting to be Stanley Cup contenders. It’s tough to say what Bear will do for sure, but my guess is he signs a 3-4 year deal around $3-4M AAV. He’s a young guy with good skill in both ends of the ice, he has a really impressive stride for a D man, and is adapting to learn how to create plays better and better every game.

Foegele is likely going to stick in the middle 6 with Edmonton. He has bounced through all 4 lines, all season, and is a great role player. He plays exactly where he needs to, and the way he needs too, and is definitely someone the Oilers would like to keep around for a couple seasons. But, with that being said, I still truly believe the Hurricanes earned more value in the one for one swap.