The Los Angeles Kings have signed forward Warren Foegele to a three-year contract worth around $9 million, according to Elliotte Friedman. After losing to Foegele’s Edmonton Oilers in Round 1 of the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Playoffs, Los Angeles brings in a player from the other side.
Foegele as a Forward
Foegele was a 2014 third-round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes. After spending time with the University of New Hampshire and the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), he signed his first professional contract ahead of the 2017-18 season. After four seasons in the Hurricanes’ organization, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers for Ethan Bear during the 2021 offseason. In 431 career regular season games, he has 80 goals and 163 points. He posted career highs in goals (20) and points (41) during the 2023-24 season with the Oilers.
Related: THW’s 2024 Free Agency Tracker
Foegele bounced around the Oilers lineup during the 2023-24 season, spending the majority of his time alongside Ryan McLeod and Leon Draisatl. The line played in 21 games together, scoring 12 goals while being on the ice for just four goals against. Standing 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds, he played a physical style of hockey, leveraging his body to create space. He is not afraid to make big hits, a trait that proved costly in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
In his third shift of Game 2, Foegele was given a five-minute major and game misconduct due to a knee-on-knee hit against Eetu Luostarinen versus the Panthers. Later in the series, he played a key role in Edmonton’s path to forcing a Game 7, scoring a goal and three assists in Games 4, 5, and 6. He was also named the first star of Game 6.
What Foegele brings to X is a hard-working left winger who is not afraid to put it all on the line for his team. He may not produce like a top-six forward, but he will dominate his role as a middle-six winger who can contribute on the scoresheet when it matters most.
Fit with the Kings
After bringing in Tanner Jeannot via trade, it is clear what the Kings are looking to do with the signing of Foegele. He is a big-bodied, aggressive winger who knows how to drive towards the center of the ice. As general manager Rob Blake stated at head coach Jim Hiller’s introductory press conference, the team lacked net front scoring and needs to be more physical in the offensive zone. Foegele, alongside Jeannot, will help address this issue.
Where Foegele will play in the lineup is yet to be determined, but it will likely be in the middle-six. He is left-handed, and the Kings have a lot of that, so he may play the right wing. He could be a fit on the first line alongside Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe by providing a power-forward presence, but it would also make sense to see him alongside Quinton Byfield and Kevin Fiala on the second line. He is unlikely to see power play time, although anything is possible.
