Warren Foegele may not re-sign after career season with Oilers

Over the past three seasons with the Oilers he has been a solid producer of 20 to 25 points per year. This year saw his production almost double along with a modest increase in ice time.

Several factors could lead to his leaving the team. Many teams across the NHL would love to have a player like Foegele who would sit on their 2nd and or 3rd lines to help with Power play and even penalty killing duties. His current contract is a $2.75 million AAV which is sure to be on the rise which has turned him into a more expensive forward. This was clearly his best year in three seasons with the Oilers, backed by the obvious financial motivation of a contract year. It's happened to the Oilers before, signing a player after a career-best year only to see them fall off a cliff.

Another issue is the question about current GM Ken Holland. Several pundits have stated that Holland will retire from the GM and president role after this season, and it remains to be seen on who Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson would hire to be Holland's replacement. The potential new boss may see the team differently and may move on from Foegele if his contract demand becomes too much.

With 13 players under contract and only 14.2 million dollars to sign players may have Foegele looking elsewhere as the Oilers would look to Bakersfield for help on their wings.

Time will tell on what will happen to Foegele along with other free agents as the Oilers have up to 11 free agents on the docket to decide on.