When Warren Foegele went through his Meet The Media session two days after the Edmonton Oilers’ Game 7 Stanley Cup Final loss, it was more like an exit interview.
You could see it in his eyes, not just the crushing hurt of the 2-1 loss in Florida still weighing heavily but also the realization this was it for him as an Oiler after three seasons when he came here in a trade from Carolina for Ethan Bear.
During the season there had been no substantive talks about a new deal for the 28-year-old unrestricted forward, even as he rolled to his NHL career-high 20 goals and 41 points. Upsetting, but a business decision, and so five days after saying goodbye to the press here, he signed a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings ($3.5 million AAV), boldly crossing enemy lines after playing against the Kings in three straight first-round playoff series.
The Oilers didn’t see a fiscal way to give Foegele, who played junior in Erie with Connor McDavid and was also coached by Kris Knoblauch there, a substantial raise over his $2.75 million AAV because of their squeezed salary cap. He played with 97 and Leon Draisaitl, at times, and played well, but mainly he was a valuable third-line sidekick with Ryan McLeod.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go back. I knew the direction they were going and I wasn’t part of their puzzle,” said Foegele, who will play against the Oilers for the first time Saturday afternoon in L.A., with 18 points (nine goals), all even strength.
“That’s OK. In that final (Florida) series I really wanted to make the most of my time, though. I wanted to end it on a good note and it’s a real bummer that we didn’t win, especially knowing I wasn’t going back.”
He did see the whole gang at McDavid’s wedding in Ontario July 27, and there was some good-natured “joining the enemy” talk there. “But I actually talked to a few of the guys on July 1 at the lake (Muskoka) and one of them was McLeod. He wasn’t traded yet (to Buffalo). We had a good laugh (about L.A.),” said Foegele, who later worked out with half a dozen of his old teammates in Toronto before leaving for Kings’ camp.
“Going through free agency was interesting for our team and the guys in Florida (Brandon Montour signed in Seattle, Oliver Ekman-Larsson in Toronto). It was hard to wrap your mind around. For us, we’d just lost Game 7, you fly home, you hang out with your teammates one last time, then the next day (at the rink) you’re expecting (to talk to the bosses about the season) but we didn’t have that tradition because the whole management and staff were off to the draft. Bit different than usual,” said Foegele.
One day an Oiler, the next he’s playing for the other side.
“The cool thing about this sport is you get to meet great people and I created some really good friendships in Edmonton that will last forever. I don’t have to be on the same team for that,” said Foegele, who played 18 playoff games against the Kings and maybe developed some old-fashioned competitive dislike for the guys in silver and black.
“I don’t know about the (dislike)…they were one of the teams interested in me and I felt I would be a good fit. I thought their style would blend well with that team and so far it’s been working well,” said Foegele, who is playing 16 minutes a game.
He’s doing just fine, thank you.
On payday, and on the ice with his nine goals and 18 points. Same story with Holloway (13 goals, 22 points), now playing in St. Louis.
When Foegele was deemed dispensable here because of the dollars, it also seemed internally the Oilers had a ready-made replacement in Holloway. Until they didn’t.
“Dylan and I had discussions at the end of the year about that, about him getting a great opportunity,” said Foegele. “Then July 1 happened. Maybe he’s thinking ‘Where am I going to slot here?’”
Indeed, the Oilers signed Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner as free agents. And Holloway is now a Blue.
Today, Foegele’s on the other side now, an Oiler observer. He’s firmly established on an L.A. line with centre Quinton Byfield, and for now, winger Tanner Jeannot. He’s still No. 37 but in a different jersey.
Foegele is fourth in even-strength points in L.A. after Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe and Alex Laferriere, echoing Zach Hyman’s statement of last year that “he can create offence at 5-on-5 and that’s really hard to do in this league.” Of his 41 points last year here, 38 were ES.
He’s also getting a taste on the Kings’ second PP unit (19 minutes in 34 games), something that seldom happened in Edmonton with the juggernaut first unit, but like he did here, he’s also a vital part of the L.A. PK. He’s averaging 1:36 a game, fourth-most for the forwards after Trevor Moore (two minutes), Phil Danault (1:56) and Byfield (1:37).
“I don’t know if I ever played 17 to 19 minutes on the power play (Oilers). My 5-on-5 minutes are up and on the penalty kill I’ve had a bigger role here,” he said.
He wants the team W more than the individual G Saturday, but he wouldn’t turn down a snipe, or two or three. He had four two-goal games last season with the Oilers and has one with the Kings, too. He’s still looking for his first NHL hat-trick after 465 games.
“Maybe tomorrow would be a good day, huh?” laughed Foegele, looking forward to the Oiler-Kings matchup for second spot in the Pacific Division.
“There’s always a chip on your shoulder when you play your old team. I don’t know if Saturday is the ideal time, coming off a four-day break, though. You usually don’t have that in your first game back (against former squad) but you deal with the cards you’re dealt. It’s going to be fun, interesting,” he said.
This ‘n that: Moore (upper-body) and Danault (undisclosed), who regularly has checked McDavid in the playoffs, both were hurt on the last Kings road trip. Danault skated with the main group and might play but Moore and fellow injured forward Trevor Lewis skated on their own… Drew Doughty, who broke his left ankle three months ago and needed surgery, still isn’t skating with the team yet… The Kings, starting a five-game homestand, are 10-2-1 at home with a plus-19 goal differential