A Warren Foegele trade would bring stability to the bottom six

He would be a decent option.

Whenever a situation arises where both a player and team are dissatisfied with how events have progressed, it is usually best for a change of scenery. In such situations, a window of opportunity opens up for other teams to provide a chance to said player to re-write themselves.

With Warren Foegele, he appears to be headed in that direction.

In the “31 Thoughts” blog, Elliotte Friedman reported that there are trade discussions being had over Foegele, with both player and team wanting “a change”. Similar sounding rumors have arisen with the Flyers regarding Nolan Patrick, and though there’s no guarantee either player gets moved, once the news that both player and team want a change is public, it almost becomes an expectation that the player in question is either let go or traded. Therefore, if the Flyers want to bring in a fresh face to stabilize the bottom six, Foegele could be an option.

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Foegele is a middle/bottom six winger with great skating ability and a scoring touch when put under pressure. He scored 20 points in 53 games last season, which is a 31 point pace in 82 games (that would top his current career season high of 30 in 2019-20). He’s quite strong, and he scores most of his goals when he goes to the net. He’d compliment a player like Morgan Frost well if Frost plays at the NHL level. Either Foegele buys time and space for a playmaker with his physicality and net presence, or Frost can set up Foegele since he often goes towards the net and has very good hands and an above average shot.

Foegele also has demonstrated that he is a solid playoff performer. In 33 career playoff games, he has managed 12 points.

Contract wise, he signed a $2.15 million, one year contract for 2020-21, and if the Flyers were to trade for him, he would need to be re-signed. This is the same situation that the Flyers currently face with Nolan Patrick, as any team who would trade for him would need to re-sign Patrick.

Speaking of Patrick, perhaps a one-for-one trade with Carolina for Foegele, with Patrick going the other way, makes sense for both clubs since they have unhappy players on either side needing a change of scenery. However, given the Seattle expansion draft looming in the background, it could work out that the Hurricanes sign Foegele and then trade him after the expansion draft to avoid losing him for nothing in return. Patrick makes sense to give up if the Hurricanes are wanting a roster player. Otherwise, a pick and prospect return could do the job easily. However, given it’s common knowledge the player and team are disgruntled, it likely would not take much to acquire Foegele.

Regardless, the Flyers’ needs are primarily for a defenseman and back-up goaltender, so while a Foegele addition would be welcome, it isn’t the most necessary change. If the Flyers are going to sign a former Carolina player, many would much rather it be Dougie Hamilton than Warren Foegele. However, stabilizing the bottom six is still a task the Flyers should be looking to complete, and when the opportunity arises where a player clearly wants out from an organization, the Flyers owe it to themselves to at least have that conversation.