What an exciting day in Columbus, Ohio. What? What’s that you say? You’re more concerned about the news north of the border? It is an exciting day in the buckeye state as Nick Foligno has been named the sixth captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets. First reported by Columbus Dispatch reporter Aaron Portzline yesterday, it all became official today at 11 am eastern time, while the rest of the hockey world was looking elsewhere. That may be exactly what the Jackets were hoping for as they made the announcement.
Many outside of central Ohio will scoff at the selection but anyone close to the organization has seen this move coming for a while after getting his roots set in town. While dealing with a personal tragedy last year, Foligno, needed time away from the team but once he returned they found his return as a rallying cry they didn’t know they needed. This career season may not have been seen by some but it became evident as he gained comfortability with star center Ryan Johansen this season that Foligno’s talent was on par with a first line talent.
On the other side of the spectrum many will point to Foligno’s shooting percentage as something that won’t be sustainable next year and it is a valid point. Foligno also found himself on the second line towards the end of the year and played with possession forward Brandon Dubinsky, which may prove to be a good spot for Foligno who will need to play on the offensive side of the puck more often than not to really allow his value to shine. His increased power play time also allowed for him to get more points on special teams which buoyed his great season more than people realize. The captaincy should allow for him to stay in the team’s spotlight but will people perceive the captaincy as too much to handle for Foligno, who has been thrust into the spotlight seemingly out of nowhere?
Only time will tell the full story for Foligno but one thing we know for certain is that everyone in Ohio is happy to have a new face of the franchise that encompasses everything the team has dealt with as of late: hard work, perseverance and an ability to overcome adversity are only some of the attributes he brings to the captaincy. The question is, will it matter?
