Blackhawks Trade Nick Foligno To Central Division Contender

Nick Foligno has been a tremendous veteran leader and mentor for the young Chicago Blackhawks the past three seasons, but he has said his goodbyes this morning and is on his way to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for future considerations (i.e. nothing, really).

The Blackhawks are trading captain Nick Foligno to the Minnesota Wild where he can play with his brother Marcus 👊🏻 pic.twitter.com/A9mNQDCx5m
— Nasty Knuckles (@NastyKnuckles) March 6, 2026

The Hawks did Foligno a solid, as he'll now get to play with his younger brother Marcus in the Twin Cities.

The young Foligno said his big bro called him before the trade was announced, and yanked his chain a bit:

Nick called Marcus a half hour before the news broke and said, “I’m going to a different team.”
“I go, ‘Oh, s---, but congrats. That’s awesome though.’ And then he’s like, ‘I’ll see you in a few hours!’”
“It's a crazy moment in our family and just to know you’re going to play…
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) March 6, 2026

Marcus calls it a "dream come true" to be able to play with his brother. Their father, Mike Foligno, played 15 seasons in the NHL in the '80s and '90s.

The 38-year-old Nick is a pending UFA, finishing up a two-year deal on a $4.5 million cap hit. There is no money retained. So the Wild now go from well over $9 million in cap space, and drop to having just $5.2 million available. Certainly still room to bring in another solid add, but it sounds like they are definitely out on Vinnie Trocheck.

Foligno has played in 37 games with Chicago this season, posting 11 points and 87 hits.

In 1,270 NHL games across his 19 seasons, he has recorded 608 points and delivered 2,844 hits.