Columbus Blue Jackets lock Nick Foligno on for 3-years with $9.15 million deal -NHL Update
Five seasons with Ottawa Senators in the National Hockey League (NHL) have definitely made young left winger, Nick Foligno, one of the best forwards in the league and now signing on with Columbus Blue Jackets to a three-year contract on Friday, July 6, 2012,
there is no telling what might be in store for the player.
Foligno was on a two-year contract with Ottawa Senators, which came to an end as the restricted free agent was not offered a qualifying tender by his original draft team. The contract was worth $2.4 million.
His new deal is worth a cool $9.25 million with an annual salary cap hit of $3.083 million, making him an unrestricted free agent by the end of the 2014-2015 regular season.
Columbus is a team that needs a quick fix solution and hopefully, Nick Foligno will be able to provide Blue Jackets with that momentum right from the start, but is also optimistic that these three years he will be on the team may be enough to build up on.
Making Ottawa a top place team after being picked by Senators at a time when they were at the bottom ranks of the team, Nick Foligno, knows what it takes to build a team into a playoff contending club.
“To me, the three years gives us some time to build it up here and really become a good team,” Foligno said. “I know they don’t want to wait three years. They want to be good this coming season, right away. I know what it’s like, in Ottawa, to be picked
as a last-place team and really surprise some people. It can happen.”
Foligno was acquired by Ottawa Senators in trade from defenseman Marc Methot, since Columbus was in need of a top-level and long term playing forward.
“We were in the same ballpark right from the start,” Blue Jackets general manager, Scott Howson, said. “We committed to him and he was committed to us. It was just a matter of the third year, but it came together quick.”
Nick Foligno has played 351 games in five seasons with Ottawa Senators up until now with 148 points (61 goals, 87 assists). His last season was a breakthrough as he had a career high of 47 points (15 goals, 32 assists) in 82 games played.
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