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Nick Foligno and Seth Jones were two of the more notable players on the Chicago Blackhawks over the last two seasons. Their tenure as teammates ended on March 1. The Blackhawks traded Jones to the Florida Panthers in a blockbuster deal. However, it appears as if there may be some lingering tension between the two NHL veterans.
Foligno and the Blackhawks lost to Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night. MacKinnon recorded his 1000th career point en route to a shutout win. However, Chicago put in a very respectable effort. And Foligno took note of his team's performance while seeming to throw a thinly-veiled shot at Jones.
“There’s a cohesiveness with the group. We’ve gotten rid of some distractions, so to speak, and now there’s a group that’s trying to get better… Sometimes when you make hard decisions, they end up benefiting the group, and you’re seeing that,” the Blackhawks captain said, via Chicago Sun-Times reporter Ben Pope.
Previous Seth Jones comment may have caused Nick Foligno shade
It is worth noting that Chicago did not only trade Jones before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. Deadline Day saw the Blackhawks trade goalie Petr Mrazek and center Craig Smith to the Detroit Red Wings. In exchange, the Blackhawks acquired Joe Veleno from their Original Six rival.
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However, neither of those players feel like potential targets for Foligno's “distractions” comment. At the very least, neither player made any public comments suggesting any sort of tension in Chicago. And they did not mention any issues with the Blackhawks following their move to Hockeytown.
However, Jones certainly may have ruffled feathers with comments made before his trade. The now-former Blackhawks defenseman ripped his team after a brutal loss to the Utah Hockey Club. “We’re the exact same team right now as we were game one. It’s pretty evident out there,” Jones told reporters after that particular loss. “We haven’t made any strides to be a better, more simple hockey team, and it shows.”
There is a non-zero possibility that Foligno was taking a shot at his former teammate. The Blackhawks made it their mission this season to play more competitive hockey in 2024-25. In fact, the lack of competitive hockey played into the firing of Luke Richardson as head coach earlier in the year.
Of course, only Foligno knows what his comments truly meant. He might have simply been complimenting those in the locker room helping the team along as the season draws to a conclusion. Still, his comment is rather interesting, and this situation may be something fans should keep an eye on over the next few weeks and months.
