Inside Wild’s Nick Foligno’s Return to Chicago: Chirps, Dinners & Gratitude

For the Chicago Blackhawks, the trade deadline on March 6 might seem like it was ages ago, but 11 days later, it’s a reminder about how not long ago it really was.

Especially, when the trade deadline included saying goodbye to their captain, Nick Foligno, who was traded to the Minnesota Wild. On March 17, Foligno returned to the United Center as a visitor, in a morning filled with memories and gratitude.

Foligno’s Impact on Blackhawks

You will hear both sides of the story with the Blackhawks facing the Wild. One where Foligno’s former Blackhawks teammates couldn’t be happier for the 38-year-old, who was “everything on this team,” as Teuvo Teräväinen once said. As he gets a chance to chase the Stanley Cup with his brother, Marcus.

Then, there’s the other side. The competitiveness in the room, chasing a win despite the emotions.

I asked Landon Slaggert about facing Foligno,

“Yeah, it’s definitely going to be weird. He actually swung down before our morning skate and said hi to everyone, which was awesome. And, obviously, he was such a big part of this room, this organization, so to see him wearing another sweater is definitely going to be weird and be out there. But they’ll definitely be some chirps thrown back and forth, I’m sure. So obviously, we’re super excited for him. Hopefully, they can make a run here, and it would be awesome for him to get a Cup. But tonight, I think it’s our job to try and shut him down. So no, it’ll be cool to be out there on the ice against him, though.”

Head coach Jeff Blashill mentioned that Foligno had dinner with some of his teammates yesterday (March 16). Per Joe Smith of The Athletic, they went to LÝRA, and Connor Bedard paid the bill.

When Foligno was asked about the dinner, he replied, “It was nice… It’s typical- all the married guys with kids couldn’t make it, and all the young guys were there. So, free meal, right? [jokingly]. Yeah, but it was nice. Nice to see the guys. Obviously, it’s such a rush when you get traded. Especially on a game day, you’re trying to stay out of their way, and so it was nice to say goodbye in a way. Just catch up and see how things have been, and, you know, I’ve obviously made it known how much I care about this group. So it was nice to see those guys and catch up a little bit.”