Nick Foligno is a polarising figure within the Boston Bruins fanbase. The Bruins brought Foligno in as an unrestricted free agent on July 28, 2021. The Bruins signed the veteran to a two-year contract worth $7,600,000.
Foligno's completely underperformed for his Bruins team. The 34-year-old is likely declining due to his age and is likely to underperform next season too. Foligno was a fourth-liner for Boston last season, appearing in 64 games and scoring two goals. Yes, just two goals! Foligno did record 66 penalty minutes though, which some may say is positive. That's your call.
Let's be real: you don't sign a free agent an average of $3,800,000 to play eight minutes a night and score two goals in a season. So what are the potential options and plans for Nick Foligno and Boston?
Let's start with the most unlikely option, which would be to completely buyout Foligno's contract. This option would save the Bruins $1,866,666 in cap this season, although they would pay an extra $933,334 next season. This option is unlikely as Don Sweeney made a statement basically saying the Bruins wouldn't be buying out anyone.
Next, the Bruins could look into trading Foligno. Although this option would save the Bruins the most cap space, it is unlikely any team would want Foligno without gaining a high pick or prospect. The Bruins' GM, Don Sweeney, is notorious for trading overpaid veterans for first-round picks. For example, trading the Anaheim Ducks for a first-round pick, a prospect, and David Backes in exchange for Ondrej Kase
It would be quite unlikely for the B's to trade Foligno, unless they are serious contenders by the trade deadline. So they might as well just keep Foligno, as they already paid him for more than half the season and wouldn't save much cap.
Since trading and releasing Foligno are unlikely options, it is more likely that the Bruins will end up burying the veteran in the AHL (American Hockey League). If so, Foligno's contract would only have a cap hit of $2,675,000, thus saving some cap. Foligno could act as a mentor for young Bruins prospects and could act as a physical presence for the younger B's. For instance, Fabian Lysell.
And lastly, the final option would be to keep Foligno on the NHL roster. Hey, maybe Foligno improved over the offseason? You never know. Okay, I am being too hopeful. This ain't happening.
The Bruins have many options to save cap space, although they will need to make some moves as they are currently just over $1,000,000 over the NHL cap.