Nick Foligno reportedly spurns Wild for Bruins

Like Mikko and Saku before them, looks the the Minnesota Wild failed to generate the brotherly love. The Athletic’s Michael Russo tweeted that, according to his sources, former Columbus Blue Jacket captain Nick Foligno will shortly agree to terms with the Boston Bruins in free agency, leaving the Wild looking elsewhere to fill their holes at the pivot position.

The details of the deal haven’t been made public or official, but rumors around the twitterwebs is that the elder Foligno will sign a two-year deal at an average annual value north of $5 million - a mark that the Wild was never going to be able to match, especially after their signing of defenseman Alex Goligoski to a one-year, $5 million deal earlier today.

According to Russo, the Wild found themselves in a bidding war with the Bruins and the Colorado Avalanche, and the three team “tug-of-war” (as Russo put it) likely drove up the price to the point where the Wild couldn’t make the numbers work. Nick is also likely motivated to win the elusive Stanley Cup he failed to hoist when he was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs, as the Leafs were ousted by the Montreal Canadians in seven games in the first round.

So, for the Wild, it’s back to square one as they look to upgrade their roster and fill holes like the one left by Nick Bonino, who signed with the San Jose Sharks eariler today.