Let’s be frank, Nick Foligno has been a disappointment for the Bruins. He is certainly not producing at what would be expected for a 2-year/$3.8 million AAV contract.
There were a lot of questions on how Nick Foligno would fit into the Bruins this year. The Bruins were clear that they valued his flexibility. He could play both wings and had plenty of experience at the center position. For $3.8 million though, he is expected to at least produce at a 3rd line level. Personally, I envisioned some combination of Foligno, Coyle, Debrusk/Smith.
Now looking back at 55 games with the Bruins, we can say this is certainly not the kind of production we hoped for. Foligno has found himself a regular on the 4th line posting only 12 points while also missing 13 games. Jake Debrusk at a similar $3.875 million salary this year currently holds 36 points.
I hate to say this, but Nick Foligno is not what the Bruins needed this year. He is a great leader, and a better person, but there were better players available for a fraction of the price.
Over the summer, Corey Perry signed with the Tampa Bay lightning for 2 years at $1 million AAV. Since then he has played 73 games and put up 35 points with 17 goals and 18 assists. That is almost triple the production for less than a third the price. Let’s say he wasn’t an option, with his heart set on a Stanley Cup with the Lightning. Let’s take a look at a few more players.
Zach Parise signed for a measly $750,000 and has since posted 31 points. Jason Spezza has 21 points on the season while also on a $750,000 contract. Former Bruin Marcus Johnasson has put up 24 points on a $1.5 million 1-year deal with the Kraken. In theory, for less than the price of Foligno’s $3.8 million AAV salary, we could have had signed Parise, Spezza, and Johanssen.
The longer this goes on, the quicker this signing looks like another David Backes debacle. Yes Backes had a bigger cap hit, but just like Backes, Foligno was clearly past his prime. Foligno had 20 points last year and was averaging just over 30-35 points from 2017-to 2020. Maybe they hoped he would capture that again, but this appears to be a swing and miss in my opinion.
This year might not be a problem, but the Bruins have just over $3 million in cap space available for next year. Sweeney better have some tricks up his sleeve to get Bergeron, Studnicka, Zboril, Lazar, and others all re-signed. I am sure he will be wishing he didn’t have Foligno’s $3.8 million cap hit then.