Wild unite the Foligno brothers as loaded Western Conference teams stock up for the playoffs
Nick Foligno enjoyed a big jump in the Central Division standings with his move from Chicago to Minnesota at the trade deadline.
Even better? A family reunion.
Finally, after 19 years in the NHL, Foligno is getting the chance to revisit a foundational piece of his childhood: playing with his younger brother. The Blackhawks sent their captain on Friday to the busy Wild, where Marcus Foligno has been a locker-room fixture for nine seasons.
“They’re probably the team I’ve watched the most outside of my own team, so I know what they’re about,” Nick Foligno told SportsNet in Canada. “I just feel excited to go and help that team.”
Marcus Foligno, 34, is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury but is expected back before the end of the season. He’s in his 15th year in the league, an alternate captain who could potentially form a punishing fourth line for the playoffs with recently acquired center Michael McCarron and his older brother. Nick Foligno, 38, will join his sixth NHL team.
Their father, Mike Foligno, played 15 years in the league. Their mother, Janis Foligno, died in 2009 of breast cancer. Her surviving family members quickly thought of her after the Blackhawks agreed to send Nick Foligno to the Wild for unspecified future considerations, essentially giving a well-regarded veteran player one last viable opportunity for a postseason run. Nick has never made it past the second round. Marcus has never won a series.
“It’s pretty humbling. Honestly, it feels like our mom’s got a little something to do with that, smiling down on us today,” Nick Foligno said.
Wild lean into Central push with upgrades for bottom two lines
Wild general manager Bill Guerin, fresh off constructing the U.S. team roster that won the gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics, made Nick Foligno his final acquisition of an active but measured week. Even if he winds up as the 13th forward and a healthy scratch more often than not down the stretch, his presence will provide a boost.
Determined to help the Wild end their streak of nine straight playoff series lost, Guerin got a head start by landing star defenseman Quinn Hughes on Dec. 12 from Vancouver. The Olympian has been as good as advertised, helping the Wild keep up in the stacked Central Division with Colorado and Dallas.
More recently, the Wild added McCarron, wing Robby Fabbri and defenseman Jeff Petry. Then on Friday, they acquired wing Bobby Brink from Philadelphia, bringing the 24-year-old back to his home state. Those moves were for depth, allowing Guerin to overhaul the bottom two forward lines without sacrificing major assets as the Wild prepare for a seemingly inevitable first-round matchup with the Stars that would make one of the top five teams in the NHL a one-and-done participant.
The league-leading Avalanche toughened up by reacquiring forward Nazem Kadri on Friday, after earlier depth additions this week in forward Nicolas Roy and defenseman Nick Blankenburg.
“We think our group up front can play any kind of game,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said. “But you’ve got to get it done on the ice.”
The Stars, who took a 10-game winning streak into their matchup with the Avs on Friday, took a fine-tuning approach, too, by getting defenseman Tyler Myers and forward Michael Bunting.
Utah, which has a hold on the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference, added defenseman MacKenzie Weegar.
“I think everybody kind of got a little bit better. Everybody addressed their needs,” Mammoth general manager Jim Armstrong said. “It’s competitive. It’s the best division in hockey, for me. It’s a punch-to-the-face competition, not only on the ice but off the ice of our division getting better all the time.”
Ducks land Carlson with eye on Pacific lead
Edmonton didn’t do much this week to get Connor McDavid closer to a Stanley Cup championship, though Jason Dickinson provides experience as a third-line center after arriving with young forward Colton Dach in a trade with Chicago. Vegas added forwards Nic Dowd and Cole Smith.
Anaheim, which entered Friday just one point behind the first-place Golden Knights, made the biggest splash of the Western Conference contenders by acquiring defenseman John Carlson from Washington in a surprising late-night deal. The 36-year-old, who has only played in the league for the Capitals since 2009 and helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2018, gives the Ducks an offensive-minded blue-liner with 771 career points in their aim to return to the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
“It’s a great team to come to. I think they are loaded with talent, loaded with some character guys that I’m really looking forward to playing with,” Carlson said. “I think I’ve got a lot left in the tank. I think mentally I’m better than ever.”
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AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham in Anaheim, California, Dan Gelston in Philadelphia and Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report.
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