Wild sign veteran winger Marcus Foligno to four-year extension

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 $1.875M.  Basically, Guerin was able to get two core veterans signed while still creating a bit of extra wiggle room for next season.  Earlier Friday, 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.