If you were placing bets on who would score the first goal for the Minnesota Wild this season, Nick Foligno would probably be toward the bottom of the list. But after returning to the team this summer, the elder Foligno brother came through for Minnesota at 9:35 of the first period, scoring from Michael McCarron and Olli Maatta to draw first blood in the Wild’s season opener against the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.
Foligno’s goal was notable in several ways as it got Minnesota on the board. But it also pointed out a couple of the Wild’s key decisions including Foligno’s decision to return for another season in Minnesota.
Nick Foligno returned for ‘unfinished business’ with the Wild
Marcus Foligno has been one of the Wild’s key locker room leaders, but he was reunited with his brother, Nick, at last year’s trade deadline. The former captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, the Wild got Nick Foligno at the cost of “future considerations” before he played with his brother on the fourth line.
The numbers weren’t massive as Foligno scored a goal and four points in 17 regular season games and a pair of goals and three points in Minnesota’s 11-game playoff run. But it was another attempt by Bill Guerin to add veteran leadership to the locker room, which came through during the playoffs.
Going into the offseason, Foligno, who will turn 39 on Halloween, wasn’t sure if he would return for another season. But in addition to playing a full season with his brother, he signed a one-year contract for $900,000, citing “unfinished business.”
“I remember when we lost [to the Colorado Avalanche in the playoffs], and I felt like there was a moment of extreme sadness after the game, like a, ‘What the hell just happened?’” Foligno told The Athletic’s Joe Smith. “I kept waiting for the moment of like, ‘I’m done. This is it.’ And it never really came…I was excited to start training camp. I was almost excited to get back at the [Avalanche] next year for knocking us out. My thoughts were never about, ‘I’m going to sail off into the sunset.’ I was more pissed, like ‘I want another crack at them.’”
Wild’s fourth line shows its worth in first goal of the season
Foligno’s return gives the Wild a physical fourth line. The Wild already have the Foligno brothers anchoring the final forward group but they also brought back fellow trade deadline acquisition Michael McCarron on a six-year, $20 million contract this offseason.
While you can make the argument that the Wild overpaid to bring McCarron back, you can’t argue with the results the fourth line produced on Thursday night. In addition to Foligno’s goal in the first period, the trio was part of Minnesota’s penalty kill and made its presence known when John Hynes wanted to slow things down throughout the evening.
Wild fans shouldn’t expect the fourth line to be a constant source of offense and Foligno’s goal is unlikely to spark a late-career breakout. But he showed enough that his return provides under-the-radar value and it could be some unexpected contributions that could help the Wild build on their success from last season.
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