Nick Foligno Joins Brother Marcus in Minnesota Wild After Trade From Chicago Blackhawks

The Foligno family got the call they've been waiting a lifetime for. The Minnesota Wild acquired forward Nick Foligno from the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday for future considerations, reuniting the 38-year-old with his younger brother Marcus for the first time in their professional careers.

For Foligno, who has manned the Chicago lineup for the last two seasons, this trade also gives him the chance to seriously contend for the Stanley Cup one more time. With his last playoff game occurring way back in 2023, the winger remains excited to be part of the Wild.
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Chicago Blackhawks give their captain what he deserves with this trade

Foligno didn’t shy away from revealing what this trade means for him and his family. Talking to The Athletic's Michael Russo, he mentioned that their father, former NHL player and coach Mike Foligno, was in tears when the news broke. The wives were going crazy. The whole family was buzzing.

"It's a crazy moment in our family, and just to know you're going to play with your brother is a dream come true," Marcus told Russo. "I've got the shakes going right now." Nick played it cool before the announcement.

He called Marcus about 30 minutes before the trade went public and told him he was heading to a different team. Marcus congratulated him. Then Nick dropped the hammer. "I'll see you in a few hours." This wasn't a hockey trade in the traditional sense.

The Blackhawks received nothing of real value in return. They simply did right by a leader who gave everything to a rebuilding franchise over three seasons. Nick served as Chicago's 35th captain and helped shepherd a young core headlined by Connor Bedard through the growing pains of a rebuild.

With 35 goals and 48 assists across 189 games as a Blackhawk, Foligno gave Chicago the stability of having a veteran presence on their forward line. His on-ice role might have diminished to a fourth-line depth spot this season, but his presence in the room never wavered.

This season as well, he showed his never-say-die attitude as he scored 11 points across 37 games after missing 22 games due to an injury. Now healed, he will have a chance to add some more milestones to a 19-year-long career that saw him play NHL hockey for five franchises across 1,270 games.

This could also be Foligno's final NHL season. Retirement looms as a real possibility for a player on an expiring $4.5 million contract. Getting a chance to chase the Stanley Cup alongside his brother adds a storybook element to what might be the closing chapter.

The Wild have loaded up at the deadline, adding Quinn Hughes, Bobby Brink, and Jeff Petry in recent weeks. Nick Foligno won't be the difference-maker on the ice. But in the room and for his brother, this trade means everything.


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