The acquisition of veteran Nick Foligno has gone well for the Chicago Blackhawks, and they’ve decided to extend their relationship with him.
He’s agreed to a two year contract extension that will pay him $4.5 million per season:
Foligno, who is in his first year with the Blackhawks after being acquired from the Boston Bruins, has brought intangibles and leadership to the young rebuilding Chicago squad.
"He's been great," Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said Wednesday. "We knew he would be, and I knew he would be too, so real excited that it's going to extend for sure. I think the players are as well.
"He sits in on all the meetings now and he's in the dressing room and around [the rink]. Some players don't feel like they want to be around when they're injured. He knows he's a big presence, he's part of the leadership on the team, so just being with the guys, it's great. I think that's a huge boost for us, moving forward, to have him here."
“The impact Nick has already had on our team in such a short time is a testament to his work ethic and dedication to helping the players around him succeed,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said. “Hard-working on the ice, the energy he brings every night and his versatility to play in any situation have been tremendous assets. His leadership skills both on and off the ice have been instrumental in what we are building, and we are excited for him continue to push our team forward.”
Meanwhile, Foligno's teammates echoed what their coach and general manager had to say.
"Nick's just a great guy to have in the locker room," said Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones, who was teammates with Foligno with the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2016-21. "He's a great leader, great person, he's a great speaker and he knows how to communicate with older guys, younger guys, a group of guys to bring us all together.
"We've had three or four team meetings this year, players only and things like that, trying to get on the same page, and I think it's led by him when it comes to trying to get everyone to pull on the rope in the same direction. So I'm certainly happy he's going to be back."
Foligno has played in 39 games so far this year for Chicago, scoring eight goals with nine assists.
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