If the Leafs want to get the most out of their sell-off, they will need to ensure that they are set up well to get right back into the playoff picture in 2026-27. So, that would involve them looking for established players to insert into the lineup right away and also be a useful option for them down the line. An easy way to do that is to look at teams that have a player they need to ship out for salary cap reasons and get them to give up an additional asset to take the player off their hands.
Foegele could be an interesting buy-low target… Healthy scratch in LA. Production has crashed but has a 5% on-ice shooting %. Was terrific last season, does a lot of stuff, and still provides great defensive+PK value. Not cost prohibitive either.
His season to this point has been a difficult one and a steep regression from the highs he experienced last year when he set career highs in goals (24) and points (46). At the time of filing, Foegele has a mere eight points (six goals and two assists) in 43 games which has him 17th on the team in scoring. While he has never been a prolific point producer in his career, he is capable of putting up around 15 goals and 30 points in a season, meaning his struggles this season feel more like an outlier than the start of a downward trend.
This is reflected in his underlying metrics at 5v5, where his possession numbers are sound but are hampered by goals for and a bad PDO.
The Kings feel compelled to move Foegele even though there is plenty of evidence to suggest he is better than what has been shown this season. After all, they were the team that gave him a three-year deal with an AAV of $3.5 million during the summer of 2024 to begin with and were rewarded with that aforementioned career season. There’s no reason to believe he won’t rebound from a career-worst 8.3 shooting percentage, so a team like the Leafs should be incentivized to take a chance on him.
With the Leafs likely dangling Bobby McMann, there will be a need to fill the void left behind and perhaps Foegele can do just that. Foegle won’t replace the speed as his speed bursts over 32 km/h are in the 54th percentile, compared to McMann being in the 98th according to NHL Edge, but he can provide that secondary scoring element. This is a guy who could work just as well on the top line beside Auston Matthews as he could in a checking role shutting down the opposition, just like McMann.
Knowing that the Kings need help down the middle, the Leafs could offer up one of Scott Laughton or Nicolas Roy as the primary piece going the other way. The Leafs could then get back Foegele, as well as one draft pick for doing Los Angeles a solid and another for whatever they deem fair for the value of Laughton or Roy. It wouldn’t be ideal to move off a centre when the Leafs themselves would see their depth take a hit, but it’s in their best interest to restock the cupboard now so they can address their needs down the line by targeting even better players.
Foegele would be far from a sexy addition, but he could be a sneaky good add that has potential to pay dividends this season and next when he is likely to rebound to the player he is capable of being. That’s why it would be in the Leafs’ best interest to target Foegele and take advantage of the Kings being desperate to move on from him.