Although the NHL is currently on pause for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, the buzz surrounding the Edmonton Oilers never rests.
After pulling off the biggest heist since the louvre by acquiring star winger Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings general manager Ken Holland spoke to the media. While doing so, he hinted at some possible moves he may make when the NHL trade freeze lifts after the Olympics.
As NHL insider Elliotte Friedman points out in his latest 32 Thoughts blog "Talking on TNT Thursday night, Holland mentioned Warren Foegele — who has been a scratch — as someone he’ll need to move.”
This would be interesting for the Oilers to revisit a former player, especially given their need to add a top-nine forward at the trade deadline.
Why acquiring Foegele back makes sense
If Oilers general manager Stan Bowman chooses to pursue former Oilers forward Warren Foegele, it could make a lot of sense. There is a familiarity between him and the entire team’s core as well as head coach Kris Knoblauch -- who has come under fire for not trusting enough players recently.
He also is on a relatively cost effective contract , carrying a $3.5 million annual average value through next season. This means that the Oilers could in theory move Andrew Mangiapane -- who has found his name in trade rumours -- to another team and easily bring back Foegele who makes $100,000 less.
On top of all of this, the price to acquire him should not be too high. As Friedman points out, with Foegele being a healthy scratch, there really is not a lot of leverage for Holland and the Kings.
Could Foegele be the Oilers top-nine answer?
Foegele could be an interesting buy-low target... Healthy scratch in LA. Production has crashed but has a 5% on-ice shooting %. Was terrific last season, does a lot of stuff, and still provides great defensive+PK value. Not cost prohibitive either. pic.twitter.com/hEj4TLX4ff
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 7, 2026
As Jfresh points out on X (formerly Twitter), Foegele being a healthy scratch should not deter a team like the Oilers. Despite his low production with only eight points (six goals, two assists) through 43 games played, he could be an excellent buy-low option.
He is coming off back-to-back seasons where he set career highs in both, scoring 41 points (20 goals, 21 assists) in 82 games with the Oilers in 2023-24. He then signed a three-year contract, carrying a $3.5 million AAV with the Kings and went on to surpass that, scoring 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists) in 82 games with his new team.
On top of his historical production, Foegele fits the mould of the type of players the Oilers would covet. He has size, physicality, and some defensive abilities while providing secondary offence. If he can recapture some of his scoring touch, he could be a big hit for the Oilers down the stretch and into the playoffs.
He also brings some added versatility, being able to play up-and-down the lineup in the top-six or on the third line. This is exactly the type of player that the Oilers could use and by all accounts, the type of players the Oilers are pursuing.