Wild 2025-26 Report Cards: Nick Foligno

The offseason lately in Minnesota has been a lot of warm weather, and just when it might cool down, the heat comes right back. It doesn’t feel like hockey weather, but that doesn’t mean we stop talking about hockey. The offseason is very much in full swing, and we continue to move through grade reports for Minnesota Wild players. 

The defense has all received their grades, and we’re moving through the forwards now, as Michael McCarron was the most recent to receive his grade. Now it’s time for one of his linemates, Nick Foligno to get his grade and he was in a similar boat to McCarron as he came in at the trade deadline. We’ll look at his regular-season performance as well as his postseason and come up with a grade from there. 

N. Foligno’s Steady Presence 

The Wild brought in a number of players at last season’s trade deadline, and one of them was veteran forward Marcus Foligno’s brother, Nick. He spent time with five different teams before landing with the Wild this last season. He played in 17 games for the Wild, and while he wasn’t a scoring machine, he still contributed with one goal and three assists for four points. He was also one of the biggest cheerleaders on the team and kept them hyped up when needed. 

Just like McCarron, he wasn’t afraid to throw his body around as he had 41 hits in that time frame, so he was more of a hitting machine than a scoring one. His defense wasn’t quite as impressive, as he had just seven blocked shots, something the Wild definitely could’ve used more of. He wasn’t expected to score goals every night or block every shot that came his way, but he was an impact player in other ways, as mentioned above, with his attitude on the bench, which can be just as important as scoring a goal. 

After looking over his stats, nothing stands out too much outside of his physicality, which was expected. He earned a B+ because he did what everyone thought he would as a fourth liner, and he provided a bit of extra with his leadership qualities and his veteran presence that the Wild needed. It wasn’t higher because they could’ve used a few more points and a few more blocked shots from him over the end of the season. However, they’ll get a chance to see what he can do this coming season as the Wild signed him to a one-year deal worth $900,000. 

“Well, I’m looking for a little less than Kirill (Kaprizov), like $16 million, and then I think we’ll make it work. Nah, you know what, listen, I got to live out a dream with Marcus (Foligno) and not just Marcus, with these guys. I really enjoyed this group. Take away the fact I finally got to play with my little brother and experience that, which was a thrill of a lifetime for our family, for us, I mean, I still think we had moments even as months went on of just, ‘This is really cool. We’re really doing this.’ And then to play in the playoffs, the high stakes, and seeing him out there and how he played and performed and doing that together, it was special…” said Nick Foligno to the media in his end-of-season interview when asked about his future. 

N. Foligno Postseason Efforts 

Just like the regular season, Foligno didn’t produce a lot of points, but he did contribute some with two goals and a lone assist for three points. Those two goals came in the same game, Game 5 in their series against the Colorado Avalanche, and they gave the Wild a 2-0 and 3-0 lead, which they later lost 4-3 in overtime, but he did give fans hope they’d extend the series at the time. 

Once again, he didn’t hesitate when it came to hits, but at times he got a little carried away as it took him out of the play rather than keeping his team in the play. He had 37 hits in 11 games played, and while physicality is important, it can’t take away from other parts of the game, and while it’s not a lot, he did spend six minutes in the penalty box. His blocked shots remained similar, as he had just five blocked shots, and in the postseason, those are quite important. The fewer shots get through, the fewer goals are scored against. 

After looking at his stats for the postseason, he earned a B. It was a little lower because he focused a bit too much on physicality and took himself out of plays. Again, physicality is key, but at the right time and place and in the postseason, players have to be careful. However, it’s not lower than it currently is because he did give his team a glimmer of hope in their final game of the postseason with two goals, but it wasn’t quite enough as the Avalanche bounced back and took out the Wild. 

“Probably still haven’t processed it fully. I think the disappointment sits there, like everyone will say. Especially just because we had a great start in that game. Really got to our identity and allowed it to slip away. I don’t think you ever really understand how it happens until you really sit back for a while and really watch it…,” said Foligno to the media in his end-of-season interview when asked about how Game 5 ended. 

N. Foligno’s Overall Grade

After looking at his grade for the regular season, which was a B+, and his grade for the postseason, which was a B, he earned a high B/low B+ for the entire season. Some may think that’s fairly low given he was on the fourth line and wasn’t expected to be a high scorer or impact plays too much, but they could’ve used a bit more offense out of him and a little less physicality at times. 

However, at other times his physicality was needed, so it’s kind of a double-edged sword, where they need him to throw hits but also at the right time. Regardless, he threw a lot of hits in his time with the Wild, some necessary and some not. His grade wasn’t lower because he did fulfill his role, and as was said earlier, his personality on the bench was key to helping the team succeed and keep their morale going. 

An A seemed too high because he didn’t quite stand out like his linemate, McCarron, did with his efforts. Yes, they are different players, but again, one stood out, one didn’t, but still fulfilled his duties, and because of that, he earned a bit higher than average. It’ll be interesting to see what he can do with a full season in a Wild jersey and what impact he can make on the team and alongside his brother.