The Minnesota Wild are keeping two familiar veteran pieces around, with Nick Foligno and Zach Bogosian expected to be re-signed before free agency opens, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic.
Foligno arrived in Minnesota at the trade deadline in a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he had been serving as captain. The 38-year-old had posted three goals and 11 points in 37 games with Chicago, while also working through injury concerns. The season before, he put up 15 goals and 35 points in 78 games and finished with a minus-11 rating.
His offensive numbers didn’t jump after the move to Minnesota, and that was never really the point. Foligno produced one goal and four points in 17 regular-season games with the Wild, averaging 12:19 of ice time per game. In the playoffs, though, he chipped in one goal and three points across 11 games and brought plenty of physical edge to the bottom six.
There’s also a family angle here. Foligno now gets the chance to spend a full season alongside his younger brother, Marcus Foligno, while giving himself a better shot at a Stanley Cup run than he had in Chicago.
Bogosian’s path has been a little different. He joined the Wild in a mid-season trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2023-24 season and has stayed in Minnesota since then. The former third-overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft is now mainly a depth defenseman on the right side.
Over the last two seasons, the 38-year-old has logged six goals and 22 points in 122 games, with a plus-2 rating and an average of 15:23 of ice time per night. He has also brought the kind of physical, low-profile value teams lean on in a pinch, finishing that span with 128 hits and 117 blocked shots.
Neither player is expected to light up the scoresheet, but both fit as reliable veteran options the Wild can call on when needed. If these deals are indeed one-year contracts, this could also be the final season for each of the long-serving veterans.
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