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3 Reasons Why It Was Smart for the Chicago Blackhawks To Extend Nick Foligno

By Todd Welter |
/ Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
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The Chicago Blackhawks are keeping their unofficial captain around for two more seasons.

The Hawks announced they signed Nick Foligno to a two-year contract extension worth $9 million. He will have a $4.5 million salary cap hit for the next two seasons.

The 36-year-old Foligno could have left the team in the offseason to chase a Stanley Cup. Instead, he will return to the Hawks to be the adult in the room while the younger players mature.

Foligno may not wear the "C" on his sweater, but he is the team's main leader. Connor Murphy and Seth Jones are the team's other alternate captains along with Foligno, but it is Nick who sets the tone.

His leadership is a big reason general manager Kyle Davidson wanted to extend the veteran the first moment he could.

It is a good thing Davidson is bringing Foligno back for these three reasons...

Connor Bedard does not have to be rushed into an official leadership role.

The assumption is the franchise wants Bedard to be the next official captain. Being the official captain is a tall order for anyone to take on within the Blackhawks especially since it means following the greatest captain in franchise history, Jonathan Toews.

A lot is already being asked of Bedard when he is on the ice. Granted he is on injured reserve right now with a fractured jaw, but when Bedard is playing, he is expected to carry the offense. He is also being asked to be the face of the franchise and one of the faces of the NHL. That is a lot to put on an18-year-old.

Granted Bedard is a phenom but throwing the "C" on his sweater while he is still a teenager would be just one more thing to add to his plate when he is still learning what he can and cannot get away with in the NHL. Toews was young when he got the captaincy, but he had Patrick Kane to help spread out the high expectations of play. Bedard is on his own right now.

Foligno sticking around for two more seasons means Bedard gets a couple more years to have a leadership apprentice with Nick. If the Hawks choose to give Bedard the official captain role during the next two seasons, he will have a solid veteran leader in Foligno to back him up.

It is not a long-term deal (and it helps reach the salary cap floor).

Some fans might not like the $4.5 million Foligno will be taking up in salary cap space. Those fans also need to realize this is not 10 years ago.

The Chicago Blackhawks have more than enough salary cap space to pay for Foligno to be a leader. This is not the Brent Seabrook contract that contributed to the team sinking into this period of being bad.

The Blackhawks have so much cap space that they need to make deals like this just to hit the cap floor.

They have to spend the money, so why not pay your unofficial captain (who might be getting the official nod in the offseason)?

This is part of Davidson's plan to hit the salary cap floor while he stockpiles prospects to be a part of the next great Blackhawks team.

Davidson could do what the Phoenix Coyotes have done and take on LTIR contracts, but then you get no production out of those players.

Foligno might not be the offensive player he once was in his prime, but he can still be productive on the third line. This deal will probably carry him until he is finished with the game (or the game is finished with him).

Once he returns from a broken finger, he should still reach double-digit goals and assists. If he can maintain that solid production during the life of this extension, he can always be moved before the trade deadline in two seasons for a team looking for a battle-tested veteran for a Stanley Cup run.

Right now, the money he will be making does not matter. The years do and it is only two seasons. Hopefully, by the time his deal runs out the Hawks will be ready to compete for the playoffs, and his $4.5 million cap hit can be used for an impact player.

He can continue to assist in building the hockey culture Davidson and head coach Luke Richardson want.

Talented players win games, but culture helps keep them focused. Foligno gets the culture that Davidson and Richardson want to have for the next great Hawks team. Seth Jones' contract is going to make him a part of those teams. He is an alternate captain, but Jones' leadership is more of a lead-by-example.

Foligno is the vocal leader. He is the guy there to tell these young players how things are done at the NHL-level.

This is also a player who is willing to protect the team's future assets on the ice. When Bedard got his jaw fractured by a hit from New Jersey's Brendan Smith, it was Foligno who later dropped gloves with Smith. Foligno may have gotten hurt in that fight, but he sent a message to Smith that he better think twice before laying another hit like that.

That is the type of player the young Hawks need on the ice. They need a veteran with skins on the wall and the willingness to send messages to the opponent that these youngsters are not to be messed with.

It is not like Foligno is some goon out there. He can still provide some offense. Foligno has three multi-goals this season. Nick can also play on both the power play and penalty kill units. It cannot be said enough, this is not a payment for past performance like Seabrook's deal was.

This is paying for things you cannot put a stat on and that is Foligno's excellent leadership.

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