Connor McDavid pushed for the Oilers to keep Warren Foegele. Here’s why it’s paying off

EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers were so tight against the salary cap heading into the summer that everyone knew at least one player on the roster would have to go.

Connor McDavid didn’t want that player to be winger Warren Foegele, who was in the running to be dealt because he was entering the last year of his contract with a modest $2.75 million cap hit.

The Oilers captain spoke to GM Ken Holland in advance of the draft and asked that Foegele not be moved out.

“He helps our group a lot,” McDavid said of his reasoning. “He brings a lot of energy and is part of the group in terms of off the ice.”

Holland heeded McDavid’s request — a decision that’s proven to be a wise one.

Leon Draisaitl said before the Heritage Classic that Foegele was one of the few Oilers players performing up to snuff in the early going. Coach Jay Woodcroft made sure to single out Foegele for his strong play the day after a third-period collapse in Minnesota.

Foegele scored twice in that loss to Minnesota, two of three goals he’s netted so far. His four points at five-on-five to that point put him third on the team in that capacity, behind just Draisaitl and Zach Hyman.

The reward was what he called the “privilege” to skate on a line with McDavid and Draisaitl in the Heritage Classic. That role continued Thursday against the Dallas Stars before he was dropped down the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Nashville Predators.

Though Foegele has gone pointless in his last four games — he missed a short-handed breakaway against Dallas — his fast start can’t be overlooked, especially given the struggles of so many others amid a miserable stretch for the team.

“A simplicity in his approach, a speed at which he’s playing the game, a focus to be the best that he can be and bringing something to the table — Warren’s doing that,” Woodcroft said. “I’ve moved him all over the lineup. He’s finding more and more ice time. Even in games where he didn’t score, he was still a factor. He found himself in hard areas. It’s a credit to him. He’s put a lot of work in. He’s somebody who’s earning what he’s getting.”

Foegele’s early work is even more notable because it’s taken him a long time to get to this point as an Oiler.

Acquired from Carolina for fan favourite Ethan Bear in July 2021, Foegele’s adjustment to Edmonton was anything but smooth early on. He’s the first person to suggest as much.

The Hyman signing was a mere formality after the Toronto Maple Leafs gave the veteran winger permission to test the market ahead of free agency and he zeroed in on Edmonton. The Oilers then targeted Foegele to provide Hyman-esque qualities lower in the lineup while banking on upside.

The problem was that Foegele wasn’t always placed in positions to succeed early on.

He played more right wing than left in Carolina but was almost exclusively on the portside under former coach Dave Tippett. He was a regular on a Hurricanes penalty kill that ranked second in the NHL over three seasons but saw just 13:21 in that role in 2021-22 with the Oilers despite appearing in all 82 games. He seldom got chances in the top six.

Foegele had 12 goals and 26 points. He was even scratched in three playoff games when the Oilers trekked to the Western Conference final.

“It was an adjustment,” Foegele said. “It’s adjusting to your role, getting familiar with a new city, things like that.

“I don’t really have a good reason why my first year wasn’t the way I would have liked it. I’m glad that I turned it around last year in the second half. Hopefully, I can continue to move forward and try to get better every day.”

Last summer, Woodcroft checked in with Foegele and assured him he was a key part of the team.

Foegele got injured in training camp and then felt his start was subpar. A healthy scratch in January served as a turning point. Since then, with the benefit of more PK time and a boost in confidence, Foegele’s level of play has risen.

“I felt the last 50 games of my 67 (total), they were all trending in the right direction,” he said. “I thought I had a good playoffs. I thought our line had a good playoffs. I’m just trying to build off that.”

It’s one thing to drive play. It’s another to produce offensively. Foegele had 13 goals and 28 points last season.

Another summertime chat with Woodcroft yielded improvement.

This time, Woodcroft and Foegele sat down over coffees and went over the numbers. Foegele has scored on 10 percent of his shots in his career. But he wasn’t shooting enough, and when he was shooting, not enough of those attempts were on target.

Those things were holding him — and his Oilers teammates — back.

“A lot of times when you’re shooting the puck at that velocity, you might not score on the first opportunity, but, because it’s coming (in) so hard, it leads to a second opportunity,” Woodcroft said. “Hitting the net is a key thing for him.”

That’s still a work in progress. Most notably, a wide shot off a rush led to a two-on-zero rush for the Canucks and a goal against in the Oilers home opener.

Per Hockey Reference, Foegele attempted 50 shots through his first 10 games and 29 of them hit the net. That 58 percent accuracy rate is the best he’s had as an Oiler — albeit in a small sample — but just 0.1 percent better than two seasons ago.

Still, the 2.9 shot and five attempt averages represent a significant uptick based on his time as an Oiler.

Foegele spent his summer skating with McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman and Darnell Nurse in southern Ontario. Like Woodcroft, they all encouraged him to shoot more. Message received.

“We’ve seen, to start the season, that I’ve got more goals from further out. That just comes from confidence,” Foegele said. “I give a lot of credit to my teammates and my coach for giving me that extra boost to shoot the puck more, and from a further distance away.

“It means a lot when you see the care that Woody has for his players and my teammates as well.”

Aside from shot quality and quantity, Foegele said he’s been trying to learn from McDavid and Draisaitl since the offseason to be a bit more patient and hold onto pucks longer. Playing his north-south style remains his bread and butter, he added.

It’s all led to a quick start when there was a distinct possibility that he could have been playing elsewhere this season.

Foegele has been in the rumour mill as a trade candidate on a few occasions during his Oilers tenure — “I have?” he said jokingly — but he’s glad to still be around.

He said he doesn’t know the specifics pertaining to the McDavid-Holland conversation. He appreciates his captain going to bat for him, though.

“We have a great group of guys and great leaders,” Foegele said. “I’ll do anything I can to help the team win.”

Keeping Foegele meant someone else had to go.

That player was homegrown winger Kailer Yamamoto, who was dealt to Detroit and bought at one-third of the cost because of his age. Klim Kostin was also shipped to Detroit, but that was after he demanded more money than the Oilers were willing to pay him and tried to leverage a deal in the KHL. Trade deadline acquisition Nick Bjugstad returned to Arizona as a free agent, securing a contract the Oilers couldn’t match.

Some or all of those players would be helpful to have on this roster now. If even one of them stayed, Foegele might no longer be an Oiler.

This is a big season for the 27-year-old forward considering he’s a pending unrestricted free agent. That’s not something he’s put much thought toward, he said.

“The goal here is to win. I want to win,” Foegele said. “Winning takes care of the contract stuff.”

The Oilers haven’t done enough winning early on, but it’s hard to blame Foegele for that.

He’s been one of their best players — much to McDavid’s delight.

“It seems like he’s really confident,” McDavid said. “He’s shooting the puck. He wants the puck. He’s making plays. He’s showing signs of a guy who’s really comfortable out there and comfortable with himself. You can tell he’s feeling good.”

(Top photo: Eric Hartline / USA Today)