Foligno traded to Wild by Blackhawks for future considerations, joins brother in Minnesota

Nick Foligno was traded to the Minnesota Wild by the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday for future considerations.

Foligno, who had been Blackhawks captain since Sept. 18, 2024, joins his younger brother, forward Marcus Foligno, in Minnesota. 

“To go to a great team like Minnesota, a team that I’ve obviously followed with Marcus there, it’s pretty humbling,” Nick told Sportsnet. “It honestly feels like our mom got a little something to do with that, as she is smiling down on us today. So, it’s a nice feeling and I am excited to go there and help that team.”

The 38-year-old forward had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 37 games for the Blackhawks this season.

Foligno is in the final season of a two-year, $9 million contract ($4.5 million average annual value) he signed with the Blackhawks on Jan. 12, 2024, and can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

“Obviously, one, I’m happy for him," Chicago coach Jeff Blashill said. "As I said yesterday, I wish we were 10 points in (to the Stanley Cup Playoffs) and none of this happens, but we’re not and for an opportunity to go and play with your brother, be part of something with your brother, I have a brother and it would be an unbelievable thing. So, I know that means a ton to him and his family. I know how important that is and then for me personally, just he’s been awesome, awesome for me."

The Foligno Face-off teams the brothers with the Blackhawks, Wild, NHL, NHL Players' Association, and the V Foundation for Cancer Research through Hockey Fights Cancer for a season-long platform to raise funds for a very personal cause and celebrate the competitiveness between Marcus and Nick. They lost their mother, Janis, to breast cancer in 2009.

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Connor Bedard, selected by Chicago with the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, said Foligno was like a big brother to him. 

"He came and kind of embraced his role with us, especially this year with how young we are," Bedard said. "The last few years we’ve had more older guys, but this year, I mean he’s, what 15-20 years older than all of us? Yeah, just someone who meant a lot to the group and obviously I grew super close with him."

Foligno is the fourth member of the Blackhawks to be moved this week, joining Connor Murphy, Colton Dach and Jason Dickinson, who were all traded to the Edmonton Oilers.

"Like I said yesterday, it’s tough and sad when you lose guys and it motivates you to not be in this spot when you’re dealing with that," Bedard said. "In the span of a week you lose four guys who are super important to the room. I know myself and everyone else has close relationships with them, so it’s hard. It’s hard but it’s part of what we do. 

Selected by the Ottawa Senators in the first round (No. 28) of the 2006 NHL Draft, Foligno has 608 points (250 goals, 358 assists) in 1,270 regular-season games for the Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and Blackhawks. He has 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in 68 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

The Wild (36-16-10) visit the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Friday (10 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, SCRIPPS, SNE). They are third in the Central Division, three points behind the second-place Dallas Stars and nine back of the Colorado Avalanche. They acquired forward Bobby Brink from the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman prospect David Jiricek earlier Friday, got defenseman Jeff Petry from the Florida Panthers on Thursday for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and forward Michael McCarron from the Nashville Predators on Tuesday for a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.

“I didn’t expect to be as emotional as I was leaving this team,” Nick said. “I’ve really grown to love a lot of these guys; they have kind of grown up to be my little brothers in a lot of ways. When you go through what we’ve gone through the past three years here, and seen the maturation of a lot of these guys and you’re tasked to kind of help these guys and know what we’re trying to build towards, and maybe never seeing the benefit, but honestly, seeing a lot of them this year, with just the steps that a lot of those guys have taken, and the bonds that I’ve created, so it was a little harder to say goodbye today than I was anticipating because I care a lot about this group. I’ll probably refer to them as ‘we’ for a long time because of the investment that we’ve made and the belief they have in me, and I was so humbled to have been the captain of that team. 

“You want to win. You want to play meaningful games and have that opportunity. I haven’t been fortunate enough to go all the way yet, and it’s something that I still have the fire to do that, so I am excited to bring that to Minnesota and know that I am doing that with a collective group that has that same mindset. But I don’t think it’s going to be too far along until Chicago is knocking on the door as well, and it will be fun to watch those guys down the road.”