Former Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno 'enjoying' Chicago Blackhawks rebuild
CHICAGO — Listening to Nick Foligno’s words these days, it’s easy to envision him standing in the Blue Jackets’ locker room with a ‘C’ still attached to his jersey.
“This year, especially, is not for the faint of heart, right?” he told the Dispatch on Friday. “You have to be mentally tough and know there’s still a way to push and not give in to the frustrations that come with not seeing the results you’d like to see. Some guys are maybe growing at slower paces than others, so you need that fine balance of not letting anyone off the hook, but also having the compassion and understanding that, yeah, we’re young and we’re trying to figure this out.”
Those are sage words from a veteran in his 17th NHL season, who’s been a captain, played on multiple playoff teams during five NHL stops and continues to grind away at age 36 with 1,134 career games in the bank. His sentiments apply perfectly to the Blue Jackets, who continue to show signs of progress in a rebuilding process despite this season’s ugly 19-30-10 record.
Foligno, of course, is no longer with the Blue Jackets.
Their beloved former captain hasn’t worn Union Blue since 2021 and now has his own rebuilding project to worry about with the Chicago Blackhawks. Foligno no longer wears a captain’s ‘C’ on his sweater, but he does wear an 'A' after quickly assuming a key leadership role in his first year with a team that acquired him from the Boston Bruins last summer along with Taylor Hall.
That move happened just before the Blackhawks drafted rookie Connor Bedard first overall, which spoke volumes about the value Foligno's experience adds into Bedard's first NHL locker room. Foligno still pulls for the Blue Jackets, whenever he’s not playing them, but his thoughts about learning to appreciate the grind of building something from the ground up are all about the Blackhawks.
They’re now his Blackhawks (15-40-5), and they'll host Columbus on Saturday night at United Center to conclude a two-game season series that began with a Blue Jackets win Nov. 22 at Nationwide Arena. Everything that Foligno now hopes his new team learns applies just as much to a former stop where he played the longest stretch of his NHL career.
The Blue Jackets are a step or two ahead because they retained more impact players before tearing their roster down, but Columbus and Chicago will each be lottery teams again. They’re almost one and the same, which feels, oddly, like a fitting way for Foligno to play out his NHL playing career.
“It’s that balance that I probably learned from ‘Torts’ and others, that ... alright, there is still a standard here,” Foligno said, referring to former Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella. “Regardless of what our record is, and what we are, we’re still trying to grow and build toward something. We’re only losing if we don’t have any direction, so that’s kind of my mindset every day.”
That’s Boone Jenner’s mindset, too, as Foligno’s longtime friend and successor to the Jackets’ captain role. A season filled with near-misses and blown leads has driven Jenner and other Blue Jackets nuts, and they’re just now starting to figure out solutions.
Now listen to Foligno, whose Blackhawks lost 5-0 to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday and continue to absorb body blows playoff contenders.
“I mean, there are days when I want to smash my head against the wall, because it’s like, ‘I thought we got through this or figured this part out, and now we’re right back in it,’” he said. “I guess having three kids probably helps me with that because you see it at home a lot of times, like, ‘I thought we talked about this,’ and instead it’s, ‘Nope, I’ve got to repeat myself.’ So, I’m well prepared for it ... and I’m enjoying it too.”
That’s because Foligno is a key piece in Chicago’s short-term planning, a cornerstone vet who was acquired and retained with a two-year, $9 million contract extension to help Bedard and other young Blackhawks learn the proverbial ropes. It’s easy to envision Foligno holding that same role in Columbus, but the Blue Jackets didn’t ring his phone last summer and the Blackhawks did.
That’s just how it works in the NHL, and Foligno harbors no ill will.
“I care a lot about that team and about that town,” he said. “I’ve said it already. That’s where we’re going to retire. We love Columbus, but it wasn’t my team anymore. It was Boone’s team, and it was time to move on too. It’s tough to see them in the situation they’re in, because you want to see that team have success.”
Connor Bedard’s shot brushes Nick Foligno, who scores his 14th goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/3L8aGgFV3S
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) February 26, 2024
As for the irony of facing the rebuilding Blue Jackets while helping the rebuilding Blackhawks, that's not lost on Foligno.
“It’s kind of weird now that I’m back in that type of role myself, but I chose this and came here with the growth of going to Boston and realizing last year just how hard it is to win in this league,” he said. “It all comes down to how you perform in the playoffs. You could argue I was on the best (regular season) team ever in NHL history last year with the Bruins, and we only played seven more games than Chicago. It’s not a knock against Boston. That’s just the reality of how hard it is to win in this league. So, here’s an opportunity now to really put my stamp on a place that I can hopefully help get to that next level.”
Getting a couple more seasons at $4.5 million definitely helps the medicine go down, but Foligno has never been the type of person or player to play out the string. It's just not part of his DNA. He’s now playing a bigger role with the Blackhawks than with the record-setting Bruins, his body is finally back to full health, and playing with Bedard provides Foligno with a rare chance to mold a generational talent.
It’s been a rewarding season, in numerous ways, and that’s ultimately what’s helping him deal with the inherent frustrations that his growing Blackhawks — and the Blue Jackets ― are gritting out.
“The grind of getting your team from one step to the next is actually a beautiful thing if you look at it the right way,” Foligno said. “This will feel good one day, if we do it the right way and we get the right pieces in here and guys ‘buy in,’ but it doesn’t feel great right now, when you’re losing a ton of games. But there’s a reason why we’re losing so much, and the sooner guys realize that the faster the fix will be.”
Speaking of which, Foligno has gained perspective that only age can provide. Despite having two more years under contract, he knows how quickly time passes in the NHL and life.
It flashes past in a blink.
“I think that’s why I’m enjoying this so much, too, because I know, realistically, I’m probably done in two years,” Foligno said. “I have no plans on signing another contract, so this is kind of a nice way for me to be as present as possible and enjoy the moments, and make sure that I’m leaving it all out there. It’s a cool way to prepare myself for just doing whatever it takes to help move this team forward and then looking back with a lot of pride on whatever we’ve accomplished.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Nick Foligno 'enjoying' rebuild with Chicago Blackhawks
