x

Already member? Login first!

Comments / New

Blackhawks trade Nick Foligno to the Wild

Nick Foligno will be joining his brother in Minnesota

Posted on by L_B_R
Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Over the last few days, it certainly seemed like Nick Foligno was going to be traded at some point before the deadline, but the destination was the real mystery. That question was answered on Friday morning when reports surfaced that the veteran forward was headed to the Minnesota Wild.

The Chicago Blackhawks confirmed the move shortly after the initial reports:

The Blackhawks are receiving future considerations in the deal, which is a clear sign that this move was about doing right by Foligno after he helped lead the team through the early, often painful stages of a rebuild. And where he’s going makes the story even better: Foligno will now have a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup alongside his brother, Marcus, with the Wild.

The Foligno family is apparently very happy about the two brothers being united on the same team:

Foligno, 38, is in the final year of his contract with a $4.5 million cap hit. He spent the bulk of his career with two organizations: the Ottawa Senators, who drafted him in the first round (28th overall) in 2006, and the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he was traded during the summer of 2012. Shortly after the end of the 2014–15 season, Foligno was named captain of the Blue Jackets, filling the vacancy left when former captain Rick Nash was traded to the New York Rangers in the 2012 offseason.

Foligno also had shorter stops later in his career, including a brief stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs after being acquired at the 2021 trade deadline and two seasons with the Boston Bruins after signing there in free agency that same summer. His time in Boston ended on a down note when he was scratched for the Bruins’ final game of the 2023 playoffs, leading many to assume a change of scenery was coming.

In the summer of 2023, the Blackhawks acquired Foligno along with Taylor Hall from the Bruins in exchange for Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula. At the time, the Blackhawks were specifically looking for veteran leadership to stabilize a young locker room, and Foligno immediately fit that role. The team wasted little time making that commitment clear: soon after the trade, Chicago signed Foligno to a one-year, $4 million contract for the 2023–24 season and then followed that up with a two-year, $9 million extension in January 2024. Before the 2024-25 season, Foligno was named the 36th captain in Blackhawks history — a reflection of just how quickly he became a key voice in the room.

On the ice, Foligno contributed primarily as a middle-six forward, although his ice-time did diminish this season. In 189 games with the Blackhawks, he recorded 83 points (35 G, 48 A). That isn’t a lot of production, but the Blackhawks were always more interested in his impact off the stat sheet. He was brought in to guide a young team through difficult seasons, help set a culture, and provide some stability while the next wave of players found their footing.

Now, with that young foundation beginning to take shape, the Blackhawks are giving their captain one more shot at the Stanley Cup. For a rebuilding team and a respected veteran nearing the end of his career, that’s about as clean an ending as you could draw up.

Of note, the Blackhawks will face off against the Wild later this month, so they’ll see their former captain shortly:

LOGIN SIGN UP

Talking Points