Marcus Foligno Has Spearheaded Hynes' Culture Shift

Marcus Foligno finally dropped the mitts for the first time this season against Luke Schenn during Saturday’s game against the Nashville Predators. Roughly 90 seconds into the game, the two squared up after Schenn asked to fight. The fight was also a repeat from a year ago, and Foligno was happy for a rematch. 

After the game, Foligno said that fighting was part of his game and it was “needed [then] … and about 20-something games ago.” 

Foligno’s fight with Schenn wasn’t about bad blood but part of a long-standing rivalry between the teams. The Minnesota Wild and Nashville have a history of highly physical games. Last year, they had a combined 136 minutes of penalties over four games. 

Foligno’s postgame comments highlight that the fight wasn’t just to change the energy for that game but for the team's future. The Wild have been having a great season. However, there’s always room for improvement, and there have been games where Minnesota hasn't shown up the way it needs to. 

One strategy that head coach John Hynes discussed for this season is making the team more difficult to play against and adding strength and size. That approach is working. At 6-foot-3, 226 lbs. Foligno brings size and strength to the table, complementing Hynes’ coaching philosophy.

Last season, Foligno spent only 59 minutes in the box, much lower than the 97 minutes he spent there in 2022-23 and 112 minutes in 2021-22. The lower penalty count reflects Foligno playing fewer games the past two seasons. Still, he has also lowered his penalty minute/game ratio. 

While penalty minutes aren’t necessarily a good thing and don’t directly correlate with physicality, they give us an estimate of how physical Foligno played season to season. 

Due to injuries, we didn’t see much of Foligno under Hynes last season. With Foligno finally back to full strength and Hynes pushing for a more physical approach to the game, it looks like Foligno may return to his more physical playstyle. 

A physical team usually takes more penalties, and the Wild have notoriously struggled with their penalty kill. While it’s better than last year, they currently rank 27th in the league with a 73.7% kill percentage. 

However, the strategy is to stay out of the box since they also rank 30th in penalties (70) and penalty minutes(162). The Wild have little room for error since the team stays out of the box. Still, adding physicality can be challenging since it often leads to penalties. 

Foligno might play physically and draw penalties. However, he’s smart about it and isn’t taking unnecessary penalties. His fight might’ve landed him in the sin bin on Saturday, but it set the tone for the rest of the game and, hopefully, the season. It was a good penalty because it was a matching one, so the Wild didn’t spend any time shorthanded. 

His second penalty was for hooking, but he stopped a shot on net and potentially a goal. Predators defense Roman Josi was skating the puck toward the net already deep in the defensive zone. Still, Foligno kept him to the outside using his body and stick. While it resulted in a penalty, it kept Josi from getting the shot off. 

With 3:44 left in the first period, Filip Forsberg carried the puck to get it over the red line and dumped it into Minnesota’s defensive end. Foligno took the opportunity to step up and lay into him. The hit was completely clean, but it brought intensity to the game. A hit isn’t gonna stop an NHL player from making the pass next time. However, it might make them hesitate just a fraction of a second, which is what it takes for a Minnesota player to get their stick or body in the way.

Foligno’s playing style pays off 18:57 into the first period. Declan Chisholm gets a hold of the puck near the blue line, and Foligno rushes to the net. He pushes his way between the two Nashville defensemen and stands his ground, also screening the goalie. Chisholm takes the shot and puts it in the net. 

Moments like these show how size and physicality can be the difference between putting the puck in the net and winning the game. Foligno has always been a physical player and ready for a fight where needed. With Hynes supporting him, I hope Foligno will lean into the enforcer approach and keep dropping the gloves this season.