Nick Foligno

Last Season

Four goals and 15 points in 54 games on under thirteen minutes a night, plus-two, with 44 penalty minutes. He turns thirty-nine this season.

The Finesse Game

What is left is a good hockey brain and a pair of hands that still work around the net. He does not create off the rush, he does not beat anyone one-on-one, and the shot has gone. He scores the occasional goal from the blue paint and sets up more than he finishes.

The value is in not being a liability: he takes the correct route in his own end, supports the puck, and does not turn it over in dangerous places.

The Physical Game

Six feet and 210, and he still finishes checks and gets involved after whistles. He is not a heavyweight anymore and does not pretend to be, but he is willing to answer for a teammate at an age when nobody would blame him for declining.

The Intangibles

A former captain of two organisations, and by every account one of the more respected people in the sport. He is here as a fourth-line forward and a room presence, and both parts of that are genuine rather than a courtesy.

He plays on the same team as his brother, which is worth noting because it is rare and because both of them have built careers on the same qualities.

The projection is simple: he will play until he decides not to, and the club will be glad he did.