Mar 06, 2026
3 min read
Foligno, 38, is in the final year of his $4.5 million salary cap contract. He joins the Wilderness with his brother Marcus.
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The Chicago Blackhawks traded Nick Foligno to the Minnesota Wild on Friday, Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill confirmed.
A Wild team source said the Blackhawks are considering a deal in the future.
Follingo, 38, is in the final year of his $4.5 million max contract.He scored 3 goals and 8 assists in 37 games this season.
Foligno had been torn about whether he wanted to finish the season with the Blackhawks or try to pursue a Stanley Cup ring, something that has eluded him in his 19-year NHL career. Now, he’ll get to pursue his first championship alongside his brother, Marcus, who is in his ninth season with the Wild.
Nick Foligno almost signed with the Wild in 2021, but chose Boston because he thought it was too difficult to play with his brother at the time.This is a gesture by the Blackhawks to allow Foligno to finish his career playing with his younger brother and a chance to compete for the Cup.He faces the Wild in Colorado on Saturday and could make his debut Sunday afternoon against the Avalanche.
Nick called Marcus half an hour before the news and said, "I'm going to a different team."
"I reply: "Oh, great, but congratulations. But it's great," Marcus said. "And then he's like, 'See you in a few hours!
“Just crazy, it was a crazy time in our family and just knowing that you were going to play with your brother was a dream come true,” Marcus added.
Marcus said that his brother, who played in the middle of the year in Chicago and can play up and down the lineup, is ready to accept any role he is given.
"He obviously wants to be a part of this team and play with me," Marcus said."He feels like he's been invested in this team for a while. He wants to help in any way he can. And hopefully, it's a long time."
When asked how his family felt about the news, Marcus said: "I think everyone is crying right now. I think my dad is screaming, everyone is screaming. Everyone is excited; they can't believe it. Our sisters are excited, our wives are going crazy right now. The kids can't believe it. We've been wanting to see it together for four or five years."
Nick Foligno spoke Thursday about his conversations with Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson and weighing his future.
"It's hard," he said."Especially as a guy who's been leading this team for so many years, he's never been a (secret) about how much he cares about this team. You'd be surprised when he says those tough words.
"When your contracts are up or the age I'm at, there's always a personal thing that you go through. You still want to compete and fight and win, and that's the fight you have. I believe in this group so much and it's an absolute honor to be the captain here ... but there's a competitor inside you that wants to play."
The Blackhawks were one of the worst teams in the league in Foligno's three seasons.Foligno played a key role as the transition captain between the Jonathan Toews era and the inevitable captaincy of Connor Bedard.He threw himself into the role of being everyone's big brother (many of his younger teammates jokingly called him their hockey dad) and tried to prepare Bedard and other young players to take over the team when veterans like himself, Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson, were gone.
Foligno always walks the line between earnest and polite, but no one doubts his sincerity.
“One thing I can say is how much I care about this group,” he said.
Blashill said about the trade with the media on Friday: "Obviously, I'm happy about it ... I think there are 10 points in it and none of this, but we're not and for the opportunity to go to a game with your brother, to participate in something with your brother - I have a brother and it's unbelievableSo I know a ton to know him and his family.
"And for me personally, like it's awesome. I'm afraid, I'm afraid for this organization, but for me personally, coming this year, have the opportunity to try to create culture and with the help of (Connor) Murphy, 'Dickey' (Jason Dickinson), Bert (Todd Bertuzzi), all of us vets, we have a very big dad who really helped us with this Nick.
“He's been a great sounding board for me, he's been around the league for a long time, so when I had things I wanted to discuss and experience from a player's point of view, I could always rely on him.He's a great person, one of the best I've ever been around, so I'll miss him personally and we'll miss him as a team."
