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Nick Foligno signs with Chicago Blackhawks

Christopher Bagdonas / NHL / June 27, 2023

Nick Foligno signs with Chicago Blackhawks

Nick Foligno is signing a one-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. The veteran winger’s free agent rights were included in the trade that sent Taylor Hall from the Boston Bruins to the Windy City. The contract will only be worth $4 million against the cap, Frank Seravalli was first to report the deal Tuesday.

#Blackhawks announce a new contract for Nick Foligno: 1 year x $4 million.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 27, 2023

At age 35, Foligno had a decent bounce-back year. Obviously, every Bruin that was part of the regular season record-breaking team didn’t do poorly. In 60 games, the former Blue Jackets captain put up 10 goals and 26 points as a depth forward. It would not be a shock to see the Hawks deal him at this year’s trade deadline for assets, but for now, they are just trying to fill out the roster and stay above the cap floor.

JFresh put his metrics up yesterday following the trade:

Nick Foligno, traded to CHI, is a veteran defensive bottom six forward. Had a bit of a finishing spike this year but he belongs in a shutdown role. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/HnsSccLfAb
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 26, 2023

We saw the Maple Leafs buy in a few years back in order to improve their bottom six. Obviously, it didn’t work out great but that 94 percent EV Defence probably means something.

Foligno has never been a guy that will cheat you with effort and he’s also had a reputation of being a great teammate around the league. He’s clearly taken a step back, but most guys do when they hit 35-years-old and up.

The Blackhawks have next to no expectations for next season. Their main priority is keeping Connor Bedard healthy and making sure to keep his development on track.

If he really has an explosive rookie year, then maybe they punch above their weight and stay in the playoff race. Having veteran guys like Foligno, Tyler Johnson and others definitely help more than hurt for a young team. They’re not gonna deal with any real cap consequences for the long-term so I think this is pretty much a nothing burger.