The Minnesota Wild have traded for Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno, giving him an opportunity to play with his brother, Marcus.
The deal is for future considerations, sources said, and is viewed as Chicago doing its captain a solid so he has a chance to chase a Stanley Cup. There is no retention on the deal, as the Blackhawks have already used their three retention spots.
Nick Foligno, 38, is on the final year of a two-year pact he signed with the Blackhawks that pays him $4.5 million annually — which brings the Wild close to the salary cap and possibly done doing business after acquiring forward Bobby Brink earlier Friday and Michael McCarron earlier in the week.
According to PuckPedia, Minnesota has $5.25 million in available cap space after taking on Foligno’s full salary.
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The Wild also traded center Vinnie Hinostroza to the Florida Panthers for future considerations.
Foligno had hinted at a possible move in media availability Thursday with the Blackhawks.
“It’s tough,” Foligno said of his situation. “I’ve made it clear how much I care about this group. You feel weird when you have those hard conversations, but it’s the reality of where we’re sitting. There’s always a personal thing you go through too. You still want to compete, battle and win. So that’s the fight that you have.
“I believe in this group so much. It’s been an absolute honor to be the captain here. I’m still fully committed to that until I’m told otherwise. But there’s a competitor inside of you too, that wants to play meaningful games.”
Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill confirmed the trade.
“Obviously, one, I’m happy for him,” Blashill told reporters. “As I said yesterday, I wish we were 10 points in 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’ve got a brother, and it’d be an unbelievable thing. And so I know that means a ton to him and his family. I know how important that is.”
The coach said he appreciated Foligno and the other veterans helping with such a young roster.
“We’ve just had great papa bears that have helped these young guys along, and Nick certainly led us in that,” he said.
The Wild have one of the better records in the NHL and are going for it, getting Brink from the Flyers for 22-year-old defenseman David Jiricek.
Brink, 24, is a Minnesota native who was drafted in the second round (34th overall) in 2019 by the Flyers. The fourth-year NHL player has 13 goals and 13 assists in 55 games, skating to a minus-5. Brink is a playmaker with a strong two-way game, bolstering the Wild’s forward depth. He will be a restricted free agent this summer.
The Flyers made him available due to their own considerable depth on the wing with players like Tyson Foerster, Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov and Owen Tippett as well as the eventual arrival of top prospect Porter Martone.
Jiricek was the sixth overall pick in the 2022 draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets, who sent him to the Wild in a 2024 trade for defenseman Daemon Hunt and four draft picks. Jiricek split his time between Minnesota and the AHL Iowa Wild this season, unable to fulfill his potential after coming to the NHL club. Jiricek has untapped offensive upside, but there are concerns about his defense and skating ability. He is also a restricted free agent this offseason.
The Wild have been busy this deadline, having also acquired defenseman Jeff Petry from Florida and McCarron from Nashville.
