As per Elliotte Friedman's latest 32 Thoughts column [https://www.sportsnet.ca/insiders/elliotte-friedman/], the Los Angeles Kings might be looking to move on from forward Warren Foegele as they try to clear a little cap space ahead of the NHL trade deadline. That opens up an interesting question for the Edmonton Oilers. Should the Oilers consider bringing back a player who was pretty useful for them during his run in Edmonton? TRENDING STORIES: Optimizing Depth: Former Oilers' D-Man Talks Edmonton’s Coaching And Player Roles [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/latest-news/optimizing-depth-former-oilers-d-man-talks-edmonton-s-coaching-and-player-roles] Have The Oilers Actively Pursued A Polarizing Maple Leafs Defenseman? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/latest-news/have-the-oilers-actively-pursued-a-polarizing-maple-leafs-defenseman] When it comes to a straight addition, this might not be the best fit. The Oilers have some other pressing needs, including another defenseman, a third-line center, and possibly a top-six winger. However, if the Oilers can send back Andrew Mangiapane in the deal, the trade starts to make a little more sense for GM Stan Bowman. It's not likely the Oilers can use Mangiapane to make a clear roster upgrade. Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal writes [https://x.com/jimmathesonnhl/status/2020670382949175782?s=20], "Foegele for Mangiapane. Dollars are almost equal and both have year left." Mark Spector of Sportsnet noted [https://x.com/SportsnetSpec/status/2020665195115504045?s=20], "Foegele ($3.5 M AAV thru next season) for Mangiapane ($3.6 M AAV thru next season), straight up?" Popular X.com poster Kevin McCurdy added, "Foegele for Mangiapane would be hilariously ironic." WHY WOULD THE KINGS DO THIS TRADE? For the Oilers, it's not an idea that should be immediately struck down. The idea of acquiring a forward who can score in a depth role, kill penalties, and has some success in Edmonton isn't the worst idea ever. For the Kings, if the plan is to create cap flexibility, this does very little. Warren Foegele checks Evan Bouchard. photo by: © Perry Nelson Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/17ad2b74-1c9f-4e1b-a65e-68c3eea2c632.jpeg] Warren Foegele checks Evan Bouchard. photo by: © Perry Nelson Imagn Images After adding Artemi Panarin, GM Ken Holland (former GM of the Oilers) might be looking to dump a forward. “We got a lot of forwards obviously,” Holland said in a recent interview with TNT. “Warren Foegele had a great year last year. He’s been out of the line-up a couple of nights, the last couple of games. Got to work the phones here… As we get near to the end of the Olympic break the phones will start humming again. So we’ll see if there’s a fit.” Adding one back only makes sense if it's an upgrade and Mangiapane hasn't exactly had the best season. Or, if Holland is trying to move money, bringing back a forward who makes roughly the same salary seems counterproductive. The only reason might be if Holland believes Mangiapane has a lot more to give than he's shown this season. Perhaps trading the two makes sense for both teams, assuming each GM believes a change of scenery and new linemates (or some old ones in the case of Foegele) will help get them going. Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/] team site to never miss the latest news [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/latest-news], game-day [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/game-day] coverage, and more [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/players]. Add us to your Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwn-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] favourites, and never miss a story.
