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Marcus Foligno

Central Notes: Foligno, Heiskanen, Robertson, Bridgestone Arena

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In an engaging article from Joe Smith at The Athletic, Smith performed a deep dive on the injury-plagued seasons of Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno over the past few years. Foligno’s injuries, largely in his core abdominal muscles, began negatively impacting his life off the ice, leading to doubt concerning his playing career.

As Smith points out in the article, Foligno’s play style has a part to play. He’s been an aggressive forechecker for his entire career, amassing 2,614 hits (2.98 hits/game) in 875 regular-season contests. That aggression only increases in the postseason, where Foligno has delivered 154 hits (5.31 hits/game) in 29 playoff appearances.

Unfortunately, as Foligno puts it in the article, his tenacity on the ice caught up to him off the ice. Smith quoted Foligno saying, “There were some dark days going through that stuff and thinking about the future and thinking about, how are you going to manage through this injury? You’re thinking about it: ‘Will this (surgery) really solve all my problems?’ You’re really banking on coming out of it. There’s always a bit of gray area, little bit of fogginess where it comes to like, ‘Am I going to be the player I once was before these injuries started piling up?’”

Now that his surgery is in the rearview mirror, we know how the surgery turned out for Foligno. The 14-year veteran appeared in 70 or more games for the first time since the 2021-22 season, scoring 14 goals and 29 points. Meanwhile, he set a career-high in hits with 253, placing him in the league’s top 10.

Other notes from the Central Division:

  • After splitting the first two games in Dallas, the Stars and Avalanche are headed north for Game 3 and Game 4 of their opening-round matchup. According to Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports, defenseman Miro Heiskanen will travel with the team while forward Jason Robertson will not. Given that he’s already returned to skating, there’s a strong chance that the Stars will welcome Heiskanen back at some point in Colorado. Meanwhile, Robertson’s recovery is only a few days into a week-to-week prognosis, meaning there’s very little chance of him returning during Round One.
  • Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators, is getting a major makeover (Article Link). The arena announced a $1B renovation set to take place over the next 15 to 20 years that “aims to increase seating capacity, introduce new seating options, and create various fan communal areas.” The project will begin after the 2026-27 NHL season and will start with replacing the outer concrete of the building with glass walls facing Broadway.

West Notes: Foligno, Kiviranta, Stephenson

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Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno returned to the lineup last night, dressing for the first time in almost two weeks (as per Michael Russo of The Athletic). The 33-year-old missed five games due to an upper-body injury but suited up against Washington and was +1 in 18:10 of play. The veteran winger is having a routine season by his standards, tallying 11 goals and 11 assists in 68 games with 66 PIM and 221 hits.

The Wild are clinging to the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference despite dealing with injuries to some of their top players. The team welcomed defenseman Jonas Brodin back earlier this week, and with Foligno now returning it looks as though Minnesota should get most players back by the beginning of the postseason.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Colorado Avalanche forward Joel Kiviranta missed last night’s game with a lower-body injury (as per Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports). It’s the first game that Kiviranta has missed this season as he has made 72 appearances while averaging 12:30 of ice time per game. No word yet on how long Kiviranta is expected to be out but there should be an update before the Avalanche take on St. Louis on Saturday afternoon. The 29-year-old has set a career-high this season in goals (16), assists (7) and points (23) and likely won’t have to settle for a one-year deal at league minimum this summer when he re-enters free agency.
  • Seattle Kraken forward Chandler Stephenson practiced yesterday in a full-contact jersey but did not play last night against the Edmonton Oilers (as per Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times). Stephenson suffered an upper-body injury back on March 19th in a game against Minnesota and has missed the past two games. Given that he has returned to full contact, it seems likely that the 30-year-old will return to the lineup at some point in the next week. Stephenson signed a massive seven-year contract ($6.25MM AAV) with the Kraken last July, and while the deal was a massive overpay, Stephenson has provided depth offense this season in more of a defensive role, posting 11 goals and 37 assists in 69 games.

West Notes: Trouba, Foligno, Utah, Biakabutuka

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Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba will not face any supplemental discipline from his hit on St. Louis forward Jordan Kyrou on Sunday, notes Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).  The hit occurred in the first period and no penalty was assessed on the play while Kyrou remained in the game.  While it looked as if contact was made with Kyrou’s head, the league determined that the head was not the principal point of contact, and Trouba connected with Kyrou’s arm and shoulder as well.

More from the West:

  • The Wild announced (Twitter link) that winger Marcus Foligno was scratched from tonight’s game against Los Angeles due to an upper-body injury. The 33-year-old leads Minnesota in hits with 219 through 67 games this season but his offensive production has been limited once again as he has just 11 goals and 11 assists while logging a little over 14 minutes a night.  There’s no word yet on how long Foligno might be out for.
  • It appears that Utah Hockey Club has settled on its team name moving forward, according to CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd (Twitter link). However, there’s no timeline just yet for when that name will be revealed.  The latest fan vote on the name came in late January with Mammoth, Outlaws (replacing Wasatch), and Hockey Club as the three options.
  • The Ducks have reassigned defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka to ECHL Tulsa, per an announcement from their AHL affiliate in San Diego. He was promoted to the Gulls last month, getting into 11 games but with Stian Solberg recently being sent to the AHL, Anaheim decided that they were best off getting Biakabutuka more playing time at the lower level.  The 23-year-old has 15 points in 21 outings with Tulsa and has one year left on this one on his entry-level contract.

Wild Notes: Gustavsson, Faber, Injuries, Front Office

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After a strong first season in Minnesota, Filip Gustavsson’s second year didn’t go anywhere near as planned.  The 25-year-old saw his save percentage drop by 32 points from .931 to .899 while his GAA went up nearly a full goal from 2.10 to 3.06 in 43 appearances.  With Marc-Andre Fleury signing on for a final season and GM Bill Guerin indicating he wants to give Jesper Wallstedt a longer NHL look, some have wondered if Gustavsson could be the odd one out.  Despite the potential logjam, the netminder told reporters including Sarah McLellan and Rachel Blount of the Star Tribune that he wants to stay.  Head coach John Hynes indicated that an improved fitness level will be key to a successful offseason for Gustavsson.

More from Minnesota from McLellan and Blount’s piece:

  • Defenseman Brock Faber played the last two months with fractured ribs. The injury certainly didn’t seem to slow the 21-year-old who logged nearly 25 minutes a night in his rookie year while leading Minnesota’s blueliners with 47 points in 82 games, making him a Calder Trophy contender.  The injury, however, will keep him out of the Worlds next month.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see Guerin try to work out a long-term extension with Faber this summer, one that could push past the $8MM mark based on recent comparables including Ottawa’s Jake Sanderson.
  • Speaking of injuries, defenseman Jared Spurgeon and winger Marcus Foligno are expected to be fully ready for training camp in September. Spurgeon was limited to just 16 games this season due to hip and back surgeries but resumed skating four weeks ago.  When healthy, the 34-year-old logs big minutes for the Wild and he’ll certainly be a big boost to their back end in the fall.  As for Foligno, he missed the final couple of weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery; he won’t be able to return to the ice until June.
  • Guerin indicated that the team will likely announce changes to the front office. They didn’t appoint a replacement when assistant GM Chris O’Hearn left so at a minimum, a new assistant will need to be appointed.  Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic suggest (subscription link) that Mat Sells, who works in analytics and helps with contract negotiations, is a candidate for a promotion to that role.

Marcus Foligno Expected To Have Season-Ending Surgery

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Wild forward Marcus Foligno, who hasn’t played since last weekend due to a lower-body injury, is expected to undergo surgery that will end his season, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic. The Wild have not commented on the specifics of Foligno’s injury, but the veteran has seemingly been dealing with the issue for much of the second half of the campaign.

Foligno, 32, is in his seventh season in Minnesota. He’s two seasons removed from a career-best 23-goal, 42-point campaign in 2021-22 that also placed the checking winger among the top 10 in Selke voting for the first time. Most rightfully viewed that level of production as unsustainable, as he led the league with a 23.5% shooting percentage, but he’s remained a positive possession force with solid third-line production as he enters the latter stages of his career.

His offense trailed off to only seven goals and 21 points last season. That didn’t stop Wild GM Bill Guerin from inking him to a somewhat rich four-year, $16MM extension with partial no-move protection before this season began. Early on, it’s been solid value, as Foligno’s point-per-game pace has been slightly above his career average (10-22–22 in 55 GP). His possession numbers have also rebounded after a middling 2022-23, logging a 51.6 CF% at even strength that’s sixth among Wild forwards with more than 10 games played. He’s done so in a decidedly shutdown role, averaging 58.5% of his zone starts in the defensive end.

Injuries have derailed his campaign since the calendar flipped to 2024, though, missing 18 of Minnesota’s last 37 games. He first exited the lineup with a lower-body injury sustained on New Year’s Eve against the Jets, of which he’s believed to still be dealing with the lingering effects. His lengthiest absence came when he missed the Wild’s final 12 games before the trade deadline, during which the team managed a 7-4-1 record. Despite missing so much time, he’s still managed to lead the team in hits with 179.

Growing injury concerns before his extension even kicks in certainly make the deal look less palatable than it did when it was signed in September. As such, there’s more motivation to hold him out of the lineup and address the lower-body issue now to ensure he’s 100% next season. After today’s overtime loss to the Golden Knights, which they won’t get a point out of after conceding an empty-net game-winner to Jonathan Marchessault, Minnesota sits eight points back of the Kings for the second wild-card spot in the West while having played one more game. While not mathematically eliminated, their playoff chances are likely to drop to the 1-3% range after Saturday’s games wrap up.

Foligno is one of four Wild forwards locked in through 2028, joining Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek and Frédérick Gaudreau. The full no-move clause on his extension expires after the 2025-26 season, at which point it converts to a 15-team no-trade list for the final two years of the deal.

Evening Notes: Foligno, Kane, Czarnik

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Michael Russo of The Athletic is reporting that Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno is dealing with a nagging lower-body injury and won’t dress tonight when the Wild take on the San Jose Sharks. Foligno missed Tuesday’s practice with the injury and has missed several games throughout this season with what was also described as lower-body injuries.

Despite the lingering issue, the 32-year-old has dressed in 55 games this season with Minnesota, posting 10 goals and 12 assists while playing 14:29 a game. It’s been a tough season filled with starts and stops for the Buffalo, New York native, which has led to speculation from Russo that perhaps the Wild will shut Foligno down for the rest of the season to allow him a chance to heal.

In other evening notes:

  • The Detroit Red Wings will be without the services of forward Patrick Kane this evening as they take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The Red Wings have been dealing with an illness travelling around their dressing room and it appears that Kane is the latest victim of it. Kane’s absence could loom large as the Red Wings sit two points back of Washington for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and Kane has been hot as of late with nine points in his last eight games.
  • The Red Wings will also be without center Austin Czarnik who is also dealing with an illness. No word on whether Czarnik and Kane are dealing with the same ailment or not but given the issues with sickness this week its likely a safe bet. The 31-year-old was recalled from the AHL two weeks ago and has struggled at the NHL level this season with just a single assist in 25 games. With Kane and Czarnik out of the lineup, Daniel Sprong will draw back in after sitting the last three games as a healthy scratch.

West Notes: Foligno, Dewar, Couture

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Wild winger Marcus Foligno will not travel on the team’s upcoming two-game road trip, according to Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He was absent from practice earlier on Sunday after sustaining a lower-body injury in the third period of Friday’s game against the Penguins.

The 32-year-old has missed a handful of games with injuries this season but has again been a mainstay in the Wild lineup, recording 20 points in 47 games while averaging 14:35 and posting a team-high +12 rating. The former Sabre is now in his seventh season with the Wild and boasts a full no-movement clause as part of his pending four-year, $16MM extension that will run through 2028. He has not been placed on injured reserve, maintaining hope that he’ll be able to dress against his former team when the Wild return home next weekend.

Other updates from the Western Conference:

  • Foligno’s injury necessitated the recall of Adam Beckman from AHL Iowa earlier today, but he may not make his season debut against the Golden Knights tomorrow after all. McLellan also reports that Connor Dewar will likely be cleared to return from a lower-body injury that’s kept him out since Jan. 19 and will replace Foligno in the lineup. He’s expected to remain in a fourth-line role skating alongside Vinni Lettieri and Jake Lucchini, while Brandon Duhaime slides up to Minnesota’s third line in place of Foligno. Dewar has seven goals in 45 contests this season, his third with Minnesota.
  • Sharks captain Logan Couture has missed the last two practices with soreness related to the groin injury that’s sidelined him for all but six games this season, head coach David Quinn confirmed Sunday (via Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now). He’s listed as day-to-day and hasn’t been ruled out for the Sharks’ next game, a Wednesday tilt against the Jets. Couture, 34, has yet to score since returning last month and has one assist while averaging 18:45 per game.

Wild Expected To Recall Adam Beckman

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The Wild are expected to announce the recall of winger Adam Beckman from AHL Iowa on Sunday, The Athletic’s Michael Russo said. He joins the team in place of winger Marcus Foligno, who left Minnesota’s 3-2 win over the Penguins on Friday early in the third period with an undisclosed injury and did not practice Sunday morning, per Russo.

This is Beckman’s second recall in the last six days. The Wild summoned him on Monday to fill out their forward depth, but with Vinni Lettieri returning from a lower-body injury before Wednesday’s game against the Blackhawks, Beckman didn’t slot into the lineup and was returned to Iowa before Friday’s game.

The 22-year-old is in his third pro season since being selected in the third round, 75th overall, by the Wild in the 2019 draft. With 10 goals and 10 assists (20 points) in 39 games for Iowa, he’s on pace to fall short of last season’s 24 goals and 36 points, both of which were career-highs, set in 53 games.

Now an alternate captain at the minor-league level, Beckman’s high-end scoring during his time in junior hockey with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs hasn’t fully translated to the pro level. Projecting as more of a top-nine threat than a top-six one if he works his way onto the Minnesota roster full-time, the Saskatchewan-born winger has one assist in 12 NHL appearances over the last three years.

Beckman could make his season debut Monday against the Golden Knights if Foligno is unable to play. The Wild do not have another forward on the roster to draw into the lineup and would need to dress seven defensemen if they opt to sit Beckman again.

With an open roster spot and ample cap space, given captain Jared Spurgeon’s long-term injured reserve placement, Minnesota will not need to execute a corresponding transaction to recall Beckman. He is in the final season of his entry-level contract, which carries an $894.2K cap hit, and will be an RFA this summer.

Foligno, 32, will miss his fifth game of the season due to illness or injury if he is not cleared to play. The 13-year veteran has again been a solid two-way force for Minnesota in a third-line role, recording 20 points in 47 games while posting an expected +3.8 rating, good enough for fifth on the team.

Injury Updates: Kakko, Zuccarello, Brodin, Foligno

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New York Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko joined the team’s skate this morning in a red no-contact jersey, according to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple. This is believed to be the first instance of Kakko at Rangers practice since the forward suffered a leg injury in November.

While Kakko is likely still a decent way off from a full-on return to the Rangers, this is undeniably encouraging news. The 22-year-old’s injury has left the Rangers thinner at their right wing position compared to just about any other position on their roster, and despite his slow start to the year, Kakko had a career year last season with 18 goals and 40 points.

Some other injury updates from across the NHL:

  • Minnesota Wild forward Mats Zuccarello continues to skate as he pursues a return to the ice, and The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that Zuccarello could return before the Wild make their trip to Tampa to play the Lightning in the middle of January. Zuccarello has been out since December 16th and has 28 points in 28 games this season.
  • Smith also relayed an update on defenseman Jonas Brodin, who has been out since December 8th due to injury. A key defensive defenseman for Minnesota, Brodin skated for the first time since his injury and could be inching closer to a full return. He’s averaging just under 24 minutes of ice time per game this season, including three minutes short-handed.
  • Marcus Foligno was classified as a game-time decision for the Wild’s January 2nd contest due to a lingering undisclosed injury, but now The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that he’s considered out on a day-to-day timeline. Foligno, 32, is a respected defensive forward and the Wild benefit when he’s on the ice rather than off it, especially considering his $3.1MM cap hit is even more meaningful due to the Wild’s existing cap constraints.

Central Notes: Hartman, Foligno, Landeskog, Murray

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Wild forward Ryan Hartman was fined over $4.4K, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for high-sticking Jets forward Cole Perfetti during Sunday’s 3-2 loss, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced today. This is the seventh fine of Hartman’s career, as The Athletic’s Michael Russo notes, and his second disciplinary punishment of the season after being assessed a two-game suspension for tripping Red Wings winger Alex DeBrincat in November.

The incident in question was confirmed to be deliberate, inexplicably coming out of Hartman’s mouth during gameplay. Perfetti, who was wearing a microphone for Sunday’s game, told reporters today that Hartman told Perfetti that the high stick was retribution for the Brenden Dillon cross-check that injured Wild star Kirill Kaprizov the day before (via the Winnipeg Free Press’ Mike McIntyre). Perfetti, who turned 22 yesterday, was not involved in the Dillon/Kaprizov altercation.

For the Wild, the lack of a suspension for Hartman is great news. Already dealing with injuries to two-thirds of their first line in Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, middle-six bruiser Marcus Foligno is now a game-time decision for tonight’s clash against the Flames with a lingering undisclosed injury, per NHL.com’s Jessi Pierce. The 32-year-old Foligno, who has four points in his last five games, skated in a third-line role alongside Frédérick Gaudreau and Pat Maroon in Sunday’s loss.

His absence would force the Wild to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen, as veteran d-man Jonathon Merrill is the only healthy extra skater on Minnesota’s roster. The Wild are eligible to use an emergency recall in Foligno’s absence, but without ruling him out for tonight’s contest, they wouldn’t be able to do so until after the game.

Elsewhere in the Central Division today:

  • Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog returned to Denver from Sweden to continue his recovery from a right-knee cartilage transplant earlier this season, leading to increased hope that he could return for a potential 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs berth and suit up for the first time since Colorado captured the championship in 2022. The Denver Post’s Corey Masisak revealed last weekend that Landeskog’s family has now moved back to Colorado, furthering confidence that the long-time first-line fixture will resume his career at some point. The 31-year-old has now undergone multiple knee surgeries over the past three years and has not eclipsed the 70-game mark in a season since the 2018-19 campaign, five years ago.
  • After being sent down for salary cap management purposes yesterday, Stars netminder Matt Murray was recalled from AHL Texas today, per team radio analyst Bruce LeVine. The 25-year-old is once again in the NHL on an emergency basis while starter Jake Oettinger is sidelined week-to-week with a lower-body injury. He has not made an appearance since Oettinger exited the lineup over two weeks ago, however, leading to seven straight starts for veteran backup Scott Wedgewood. The 31-year-old Ontarian has been up to the task, posting a 6-1-1 record and .906 SV% since Oettinger left a December 15 game against the Senators less than halfway through the first period. The Stars have not had back-to-back games since Oettinger was injured. Murray, who does not require waivers and has a .908 SV% through 13 games with AHL Texas this season, will continue to back up Wedgewood for the foreseeable future.

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