How Nick Foligno helped Blackhawks' front office woo free agents like Tyler Bertuzzi
Nick Foligno isn't technically part of the Blackhawks' front office, but he basically operated as an extension of it over the past couple weeks.
The Hawks' 36-year-old de facto captain used his vast network of friends and connections around the NHL to aid general manager Kyle Davidson's efforts to bring in a sizable haul of free agents.
For Tyler Bertuzzi, for example, the Hawks weren't even on his radar until Foligno called on June 30 — the day before free agency began — and let him know they were interested.
"I was obviously excited about that," Bertuzzi said Friday. "Things went on from there."
Bertuzzi and Foligno both hail from the northern Ontario city of Sudbury — as does Davidson — and played together in 2022-23 in Boston. In fact, when the Bruins acquired Bertuzzi from the Red Wings at the trade deadline that season, Foligno played a similar role in helping acclimate the scrappy forward, driving him to practice and introducing him to everyone.
Foligno doesn't need that many prior connections to someone to help sell them on Chicago, though.
New Hawks defenseman Alec Martinez said he had never crossed paths with Foligno previously but that they, too, already enjoyed a long and heartfelt conversation about how their leadership styles will mesh in the Hawks' locker room.
"It’s funny when we hear that," Davidson said. "We don't ask them to do these things, but Nick cares. He knows a lot of people, he loves the team and he wants to push this thing forward. You can see that through some of his discussions he’s had with guys...that he’s willing to tell how great he thinks the Blackhawks organization is. It’s much appreciated."
Bertuzzi relishes term
Davidson has been reluctant to offer contracts that extend past 2026 — when Connor Bedard will need a new deal — but he finally made a couple exceptions Monday, signing Bertuzzi to a four-year contract and Teuvo Teravainen to a three-year contract.
"Frankly, if we wanted to go one or two years, we probably wouldn’t have signed them," Davidson admitted. "[It was] a little bit out of necessity to get the players, but also guys at this point in their career will be able to sustain a high level of play through those contracts."
For Bertuzzi, 29, the term will allow him to settle down in Chicago without worrying about his near future. He has played the last six seasons exclusively on one- or two-year contracts that didn't offer that kind of security.
"It’s just going to allow me to play more freely, do my thing and just focus on hockey," Bertuzzi said. "There's going to be no background noise on if I’m going to sign there next year or where I’m going to go. I can focus on hockey and just go out there and work."
Greene headed back
The Hawks offered forward prospect Ryan Greene an entry-level contract this summer, but he declined it and opted to return to Boston University for his junior year.
"Was he ready for the pros? Could he have taken that step? I think he could have, yeah — and we told him that," Hawks assistant GM Mark Eaton said. "But with his character and work ethic [in a] good spot at BU, he's going to find ways to get better there, as well."
The Newfoundland native tallied 31 points in 38 games as a freshman and a similar 36 points in 40 games as a sophomore. He'll likely be the Terriers' first-line center this season if Macklin Celebrini signs with the Sharks.
"Losing in the Frozen Four, it still stings," he said. "I still really can't fully forget it. There's definitely a revenge factor a little bit. You want to get another crack at that and hopefully win a national championship."
This and that
- On the other hand, Hawks forward prospects Gavin Hayes, Paul Ludwinski and Samuel Savoie are all headed to Rockford this season.
- At development camp last summer, the Hawks talked to Hayes about gaining strength and improving his skating acceleration in his first few strides. Eaton said Hayes looks much better in both areas this summer. He has also improved with absorbing and bouncing off hits, a skill which will be tested further in the AHL.
- Forward prospect Nick Lardis, meanwhile, will return to the OHL for one final year, but this time will do so alongside another Hawks prospect — first-round pick Marek Vanacker, his teammate with the Brantford Bulldogs. Lardis said they were texting before the draft, "hoping he would come to the Blackhawks, but no pressure." Their wish came true.
- In the Hawks' other later first-round pick, forward Sacha Boisvert, coach Luke Richardson sees some similarities to former Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds in terms of their toughness and ability to score around the net.
- Forward prospect Colton Dach was one of Rockford's best players during the first half of last season, but after missing time due to a concussion, "he got back and never really found his game," IceHogs coach Anders Sorensen said. Sorensen added Dach has "a lot of room for growth...both physically and mentally" ahead of him.
- Eaton suggested the Hawks would prefer No. 2 pick Artyom Levshunov to play in Rockford next season, mentioning the benefits of their own staff being able to work with him "hands-on every single day." Davidson walked that back a bit later, though, bringing up pros and cons of both possibilities. "Hopefully [we'll] figure that out in the next week or so," Davidson added.