Ottawa Senators trade acquisition Warren Foegele (pronounced FOH-gehl) joined TSN 1200’s The Drive on Friday afternoon just minutes before Friday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline. Foegele spoke to The Drive’s host A.J. Jakubec from the airport as he was preparing to fly to Seattle to meet the rest of the team.
“Yesterday was a weird day just in the sense I was preparing for a game, and I woke up from my nap and was just doing my routine, and then I got a phone call from [Kings general manager] Ken Holland informing me that he moved me to Ottawa,” said Foegele of how he learned he had been dealt to the Senators.
Los Angeles acquired a second-round pick and a third-round pick swap from Ottawa in exchange for the 29-year-old left winger.
“Kind of a whirlwind these last 24 hours, but super excited. Obviously, my family back home [in Markham, a suburb just north of Toronto] is super happy they don’t have to stay up late to watch games on the West Coast.”
Foegele is coming off back-to-back 20-goal seasons, including a career-high 24 last year. Until he suffered an upper-body injury in late October this season, he was also riding a 174-game ironman streak.
“I think that’s key, right?” said Foegele about the durability he’s displayed throughout his eight-season career.
“You want to be reliable, knowing that you’re able to play games, and it was just unfortunate getting hurt right before training camp and then [also] a couple games in. So it hasn’t been ideal in that sense. But, you know, only looking forward now and just trying to have a good, positive mindset and sticking to what I know best for myself, and that’s moving my feet, being a good teammate, and working hard.”
In terms of fitting into the Senators lineup, head coach Travis Green will have a variety of options of where to utilize Foegele. During the Edmonton Oilers Cup run in 2024, he often played alongside Leon Draisaitl. This season, he’s mostly played in the middle and bottom six in Los Angeles.
“I’ve been able to watch a couple games,” said Foegele about the Senators. “I watched another game last night [against Calgary], and it looks like a real pesky group. You know, they work really hard, and they’re really pushing for the playoffs. So, super excited to help the team any chance I can, and you know, try to get this team into the playoffs.”
Maybe the most impressive stat about Foegele is that in seven full NHL seasons, his teams have never missed the playoffs. Though he’s only 29 — for a few more weeks, he turns 30 on April 1 — he’s already played 86 postseason games, scoring 13 goals and adding 14 assists.
“I think that’s what you’re really chasing your whole career,” said Foegele. “Being from Ontario, playing street hockey, watching Hockey Night in Canada, you know, your dream is playing in the NHL, but it’s winning [the Stanley Cup]. So, anytime you can get in the playoffs, you have a chance. And I’ve been pretty fortunate my whole career I’ve made the playoffs, so hoping that can continue.”
Foegele has played with Jordan Spence (with Los Angeles last season) and James Reimer (with Carolina in 2019–20 and 2020–21). He also listed Michael Amadio and Dylan Cozens as players on the Sens he’s already familiar with.
“I think I know about five guys that are on the team, so any time you make that transition it makes it a lot easier. They’ve been texting me these last few hours, and just super excited to meet the guys in Seattle.”
Foegele’s playoff experience also extends back to his days in the OHL, when he played for Kingston and Erie. During his last season in junior, he was traded from Kingston to Erie at the deadline to play for current Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch.
With the Otters, he won the OHL’s J. Ross Robertson Cup with a stacked cast of players including Alex DeBrincat, Taylor and Darren Raddysh, Dylan Strome, Erik Cernak, and Anthony Cirelli. Out of all of those players, it was Foegele who won the league’s playoff MVP that spring after recording 13 goals and 13 assists in 22 postseason games.
“Erie was pretty special,” said Foegele. “Lot of fond memories playing, was just a really great group of guys there.”
With Los Angeles this season, Foegele has seven goals and two assists. The Kings have scored the fourth-least goals in the NHL overall and are three points out of the last wild card position in the Western Conference.
“Yeah, no, it’s definitely been a struggle,” said Foegele. “I think for me, personally, just a few injuries at the beginning of the season that I haven’t experienced before, and then I think for our entire group in LA, it’s just been a weird season for a lot of us on personal levels, and I don’t think we really know the reason why.
“But you know, I’m excited for this new opportunity, excited for a different style, one that I think will suit me to my game, and just ready to rock.”
