One day after acquiring Nick Foligno from the Boston Bruins as part of a trade that included Taylor Hall, the Chicago Blackhawks quickly locked up the veteran forward. Foligno agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract for the 2023-24 season.
It took less than 24 hours for the Blackhawks to make Foligno a staple in their locker room, but with Hall, it’s a move that is going to provide, Connor Bedard, the projected No. 1 overall pick in Wednesday’s first-round Entry Draft in Nashville some big veteran presences they sorely need.
Foligno Coming Off Huge Bounce-Back Season in Boston
In his first season after signing a two-year, $7.6 million contract in the summer of 2021 with the Bruins with an average annual value (AAV) of $3.8 million, Foligno had a terrible season with two goals and 13 points with a plus/minus of minus-13 in 64 regular season games. He was brought in as bottom-six depth and guidance for some of the younger players, but between injuries and inconsistent play, it was one of the worst seasons of his career.
Things got so bad that Boston general manager (GM) Don Sweeney placed him on waivers prior to the 2022-23 season, but with his high AAV, no team claimed him. That was good for the Bruins as the 35-year-old was one of many players under first-year coach Jim Montgomery that had a bounce-back season with 10 goals and 16 assists in the bottom six while averaging just 12:22 a night in time-on-ice. He had a plus/minus of plus-18 playing in all situations in 60 games as a lower-body injury against the Calgary Flames on Feb. 28 cut his regular season short.
He returned for the first-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers and played in six of the seven games with a goal and two assists. Injuries to Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci forced Foligno from the wing to a center spot and he made the seamless transition and played well.
In his career, Foligno has played in 1,081 career regular season games with 215 goals and 310 assists, while also collecting 123 points on the power play.
Foligno’s Fit With the Blackhawks
Throughout his career, Foligno has been a leader with or without the “C” or “A” on his jersey in his time with the Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Bruins. This past season, despite a leadership core in Boston already in place, the 28th overall pick of the 2006 Entry Draft by the Senators, led by example on and off the ice with the younger players and he is the perfect person to do that with Bedard.
Make no mistake about it, his speed has slowed down from his prime seasons with the Blue Jackets, but his skill and very smart play in all three zones have remained at the top of his game as evident as opponents having only a 25.7% scoring chances per 60 minutes this past season. All of that should serve as a huge asset in Chicago as they look to make their rebuild a quick one.
Related: Grading Blackhawks’ Trade for Taylor Hall From Bruins
Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson took on the $6 million AAV of Hall and the rights to Foligno in what can be considered a smart move. Yes, it helps the Bruins out salary cap wide, however, Hall and Foligno are both coming to Chicago as veterans that the team needs as they welcome in new young talent for the future. Expect this not to be the last of moves Davidson makes to a roster that should be more competitive in 2023-24.