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Marcus Foligno

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.

Wild Sign Marcus Foligno To Four-Year Extension

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Mats Zuccarello isn’t the only player getting an extension from the Wild today.  The team announced that it has signed winger Marcus Foligno to a four-year, $16MM contract extension.  Michael Russo of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that the deal carries a full no-move clause in the first two seasons and a partial no-trade clause in the final two seasons.  CapFriendly adds (via Twitter) the breakdown of the money:

2024-25: $5MM
2025-26: $4.5MM
2026-27: $3.5MM
2027-28: $3MM

The 32-year-old has been a fixture in Minnesota’s middle six for the past six seasons after they acquired him from Buffalo back in 2017 as part of the swap that saw the Sabres re-acquire winger Jason Pominville.  Along the way, he has become an important part of their leadership group and currently serves as one of their alternate captains.

The last two seasons were polar opposites for Foligno.  In 2021-22, he posted career highs offensively, notching 23 goals and 19 assists in 74 games.  For context, he had only had two seasons where he had more than 23 points, both coming during his time with Minnesota.  However, he wasn’t able to come close to that output last year as he was held to just seven tallies along with 14 helpers in 65 contests.

The version of Foligno that put up 40 points is probably worth that contract when you factor in his physicality and ability to play on both special teams units.  However, last year’s version doesn’t quite justify that cost.  That makes it interesting that GM Bill Guerin opted for the early extension here before seeing if last season was a blip or a sign of things to come.

The deal represents a $900K increase on his current agreement which runs through the 2023-24 season.  Those savings will come from Zuccarello’s new contract which saw his AAV dip by $1.875MM.  Basically, Guerin was able to get two core veterans signed while still creating a bit of extra wiggle room for next season.  Earlier today, Guerin confirmed that extension discussions are underway with Ryan Hartman, another pending UFA as he tries to take care of his spending before the season gets underway.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minnesota Opens Extension Talks With Foligno, Zuccarello, Hartman

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The Athletic’s Michael Russo shared that, while the team hasn’t acknowledged it yet, it seems they’ve begun talking extensions with their ’big three’ – Marcus Foligno, Mats Zuccarello, and Ryan Hartman. All three veterans are pending free agents, a part of the 10 Wild players facing free agency next summer.

Russo walked through what to expect with each player’s contract talks in turn. Foligno is expected to boast the easiest conversations, as the contract he’s currently on (three years, $9.3MM) could be really close to the details of his next deal. Foligno has become a fan favorite, offering an important amount of grit and physicality to the team’s top six. He recorded 42 points and 112 penalty minutes in the 2021-22 season – career highs in both categories and his first time breaking 30 points – but fell back to Earth this year, only netting 21 points in 75 games. Still, with scoring not the reward of Folingo’s game, there’s some reason to expect he can maintain his impact through the end of his career.

Mats Zuccarello is facing a similarly positive outlook on his next deal. There’s no denying the chemistry formed between Zuccarello and Wild star winger Kirill Kaprizov, both on and off of the ice. That bond alone is enough to warrant a contract extension, although Russo notes it will likely have to come at a reduced cost. Zuccarello currently carries a $6MM cap hit on a deal he signed in 2019. Now 36, a new deal will likely have to carry short-term and short costs. But how much longer Zuccarello, who scored 67 points last year, can play will be an interesting storyline to follow.

While Foligno and Zuccarello seem like sure bets to re-sign, Russo doesn’t express that same optimism with Hartman. The forward has emerged as the team’s top-line center and a dangerous goal-scorer, netting 34 goals in 2021-22. But, like Foligno, Hartman’s scoring didn’t survive through last season. He recorded just 37 points in 59 games. While not a terrible tally by any means, it could be just low enough that Hartman begins to feel pressure as young prospects earn roster spots. The Wild are overflowing with young talent and Hartman is set for a pay raise from his current $1.7MM cap hit. If the Wild can support both of those things at once is yet to be seen, although Russo does note that Hartman would carry great trade deadline value. He was traded for a first-round pick at the 2018 trade deadline, before he was ever the goal-scorer he is today. While he’s now much older, Minnesota has shown the extent of Hartman’s untapped potential – something a team on the playoff bubble could really enjoy. Of course, this trade feels most likely if young centermen like Marco Rossi are able to step up.

Injury Notes: Lindgren, Lazar, Foligno

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The New York Rangers are beginning to roll after some big-ticket trade deadline additions but still have been without a notable piece to their defense core. That may change this week, as Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant told reporters today that he would “bet a lot” on defenseman Ryan Lindgren returning to the lineup on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Lindgren, the normal partner to Adam Fox on the team’s top pair, is widely regarded as the team’s best defensive specialist. The stats back it up, with solid advanced defensive metrics and a team-leading +27 rating. They’ve been without his services for the past three weeks with an upper-body injury, however, forcing depth defender Niko Mikkola into a top-pairing role. He’ll miss his 11th straight game today, but the team is hoping his return this week adds to an already strong stretch of hockey for New York.

  • New Jersey Devils team reporter Amanda Stein notes that forward Curtis Lazar will be evaluated for an undisclosed injury upon the conclusion of the team’s road trip this week. A deadline day addition, Lazar left yesterday’s loss to the Florida Panthers with the injury and did not return. Lazar had played just three games in New Jersey after missing time due to work visa complications, and he’s still looking for his first point in his new uniform.
  • The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports winger Marcus Foligno will join the Minnesota Wild on their upcoming road trip, signaling a potential return from a lower-body injury that’s held him out of action this week. The news means that Foligno could return to the lineup either Tuesday against New Jersey or Thursday against Philadelphia, a promising development for a Wild team getting hot at the right time. With Marcus Johansson re-emerging as a middle-six force after being acquired from Washington, Foligno could slot back into a more comfortable bottom-six role in his return.

West Notes: Wild, McLeod, Afanaseyev, Kesselring

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The Wild could get several key veterans back in their lineup shortly.  Randy Johnson of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune relays that while defensemen Jonas Brodin and Jacob Middleton plus wingers Brandon Duhaime and Marcus Foligno weren’t in the lineup today, they could all be back for Sunday’s contest against Washington.  Brodin has been out the longest, missing the last four weeks with a lower-body injury which has been a big blow to their back end.  Middleton is dealing with an illness sustained earlier this week.  Meanwhile, Duhaime has missed more than two weeks with a head injury while Foligno has been out for a week with a lower-body issue of his own.  Minnesota is in the midst of a very close three-way battle for positioning in the Central and getting multiple veterans back at once could certainly give their lineup a nice boost.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Postmedia’s Jim Matheson suggests that center Ryan McLeod is dealing with a shoulder injury. He was injured on Tuesday against Ottawa and didn’t suit up versus Dallas on Thursday.  There’s no word on how long the 23-year-old will be out.  McLeod’s in the middle of a decent sophomore season, notching 11 goals and 11 assists in 55 games despite spending a lot of that time in Edmonton’s bottom six.
  • After papering him down, the Predators announced that they’ve recalled winger Egor Afanasyev to AHL Milwaukee. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut last weekend after being brought up and has gotten into three games with Nashville, logging 9:32 per night while being held off the scoresheet.  Afanasyev also has 13 goals and 13 assists in 55 games with the Admirals in the minors this season.
  • A day after being sent down, the Coyotes announced (Twitter link) that they have once again recalled defenseman Michael Kesselring from AHL Tucson on an emergency basis. The 23-year-old has played in three games with Arizona since being acquired just before the deadline, logging 18:35 per contest.  The 23-year-old has also suited up three times for the Roadrunners since the swap, picking up a goal and an assist.

Central Notes: Toews, Seguin, Foligno

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As the season ticks away, Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews remains away from game action. Head coach Luke Richardson told reporters today that Toews’ activity has been limited to gym workouts, and the team still doesn’t have a timeline on his return to the ice from general illness that’s kept him out since the All-Star break.

With every day that passes, speculation increases that Toews has played his last game of the season — and potentially his career. Chronic immune response syndrome kept Toews sidelined for the shortened 2020-21 season. He told fans in a statement last month that those symptoms, along with those of long COVID, are impeding his ability to play effectively. In their captain’s absence, the team is 7-9-2.

Other notes on some Central Division injuries:

  • The Athletic’s Joe Smith says not to expect an update on Minnesota Wild winger Marcus Foligno today. Foligno left yesterday’s game with a lower-body injury, and the team could provide an update at practice tomorrow. While he hasn’t missed an extended period of time this season, he has suffered multiple minor injuries. To make matters more concerning, CapFriendly lists Foligno’s current absence as his third lower-body injury in the span of a month. Expectedly so, the 31-year-old’s offense has taken a step back with six goals and 19 points in 53 games, down from a career-high 23 goals and 42 points last year.
  • Dallas Stars senior staff writer Mike Heika reports that center Tyler Seguin is not currently with the team after sustaining a laceration to his left leg in last week’s 10-4 win against Buffalo. However, it’s a possibility he rejoins the team on their current road trip. Seguin is listed as day-to-day, and the team has four more games remaining on a Pacific Northwest swing.

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