With the Edmonton Oilers having bounced back in a big way after their horrendous 3-9-1 start to their 2023-24 campaign, they find themselves looking to make a difference at the 2024 Trade Deadline and hope they can make a push for a Stanley Cup with their pending changes. They are finally back in a playoff spot after a record-setting 16-game winning streak was recently broken with a loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, and they hope they can afford to bring in some help heading into the postseason. With trade rumors running rampant as we inch closer to the Mar. 8 trade deadline, the Oilers have had two names listed on TSN’s recent trade bait list as players who could be used as part of a trade package to help upgrade.
Related: 2024 NHL Trade Bait List
Warren Foegele and Philip Broberg were the two players listed, as well as the Oilers’ 2024 first-round pick, which all could be used to leverage bringing in an upgrade in either the bottom-six forward group or help the defensive depth. A few names have been connected to the Oilers in recent rumor mills, including Jake Guentzel by The Hockey Writers’ own Jim Parsons, but the Oilers haven’t made any changes yet. Foegele has been solid with the Oilers this season, producing well offensively. At the same time, Broberg has been demoted to the American Hockey League (AHL) and is now playing with the Bakersfield Condors but has been playing quite well since being re-assigned.
While players like Chris Tanev, Guentzel, Noah Hanifin, and Jacob Markstrom will likely generate the most interest at this season’s deadline, Foegele and Broberg could welcome additions to teams with valuable assets they’re willing to move at the deadline. While I don’t think the Oilers should move either one of them, any team that wants to improve will have to sacrifice to get better.
What Do Broberg & Foegele Bring to The Table?
As mentioned, Foegele is a strong offensive asset who can provide stability to any team’s bottom-six forward group. On the other hand, Broberg has been growing as a defender with increased playing time in the AHL. He is still fine-tuning his game on the defensive end and will need to clean up a few things before he becomes a mainstay at the NHL level. It’s fair to assume both players would prefer to stay in Edmonton and be a part of their inevitable playoff run, but nobody has a guaranteed spot in the NHL. There were rumors Broberg was unhappy with the Oilers and was granted permission to seek a trade, so we will see if anything ever comes of it.
Foegele, drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft at 67th overall and eventually traded to the Oilers in exchange for Ethan Bear, has scored 10 goals and added 16 assists for 26 points through 50 games this season. He is on pace for 42 points through 82 games this season, which would beat his previous career-high of 30, which came during the 2019-20 season with the Hurricanes.
Broberg, who is 22 years old, was drafted 8th overall by the Oilers in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Since joining the Oilers’ organization, he has spent his time split between the AHL’s Condors and the Oilers every season. Through 67 games played with the Condors, Broberg has scored seven goals and added 39 assists for 46 points, which comes out to a 0.69 points-per-game average. With the Oilers, he has scored two goals and added nine assists for 11 points through 79 games, which comes out to a 0.14 points-per-game average.
Broberg could become a big part of the Oilers’ blue line in the future, but his development has taken longer than the Oilers initially hoped for. Another team could play Broberg more and give him a better opportunity to find his confidence at the NHL level, which is why it isn’t surprising his name has remained on trade bait lists.
Foegele is on an expiring contract and is a pending unrestricted free agent, so his value may not be as high as the Oilers would want it to be if they considered moving him. For any team looking to rebuild and make a trade with the Oilers, it may be tough to convince a team to take him on unless it comes with an extension before the deal is completed.
The Oilers will undoubtedly be active heading towards the trade deadline, and hopefully, they can make the right moves to help them push for their first Stanley Cup since 1990. The Oilers are back in action today (Feb. 17) in an afternoon matchup against the Dallas Stars, which they’ll be hoping they can use as a bounce-back game after a tough loss to the St. Louis Blues in their last game.
