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Foligno's offensive production vanished last season. After recording a career-high 42 points during the 2021-22 campaign, he was limited to just 21 points in 65 contests last year. He tied his lowest goal total over the last decade with just seven and posted his second worst shooting percentage (8.4). The veteran winger settled into a bottom-six role and leaned more on his physicality. Foligno racked up 237 hits with 97 PIM. With a diminishing role at even strength and on special teams, his ceiling is limited to around 25 points.
Foligno seemed like a clear regression candidate following a 2020-21 season in which he posted an unsustainable 27.5 percent shooting percentage. Well, that number did drop last year, but only to 23.5 percent. The end result for Foligno were career highs in goals (23) and points (42) in 74 games. He also doled out 238 hits, his second-highest total to date. Foligno's numbers again appear likely to dip this coming season, but the fact he saw an increased role with the man advantage (1:43 per game) last year at least helps stabilize his fantasy floor. He's a worthy mid-to-late round pick in leagues which value hits.
Foligno is fresh off his best season to date (11 goals, 26 points in 39 games), but the numbers suggest there is serious regression coming. Those 11 goals came on just 40 shots, good for a 27.5 shooting percentage. That is an astronomically high number and it's not out of the realm of possibility it drops by two-thirds in 2021-22. Foligno also doesn't get any power-play time. The 33-year-old veteran racks up a ton of hits and analytics have rated him as one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL over the past couple seasons, but those drafting him hoping for a repeat offensive performance are almost certain to come away disappointed.
Foligno enjoyed a career-best year in 2019-20, racking up 25 points in just 59 contests. The veteran winger also tacked on 184 hits, 30 PIM and a plus-8 rating. As a fourth-liner, Foligno actually saw a larger role last year with 14:35 per game compared to 11:58 the year before. However, with Kirill Kaprizov entering the fold for 2020-21, Foligno is expected to return to fourth-line duties full time. He'll still provide a heavy playing style with multiple hits per game, and he's usually good for 20-to-25 points in a full season. Fantasy managers in deeper formats could do worse than Foligno to fill out their bench.
Foligno is the definition of a heart-and-soul player, dishing out 203 hits in 2018-19 and owning an honest 200-foot game. With a loaded depth chart at wing, and the Wild needing to develop younger players they traded for last season, it'll be a long shot for Foligno to see any premium ice time in 2019-20. Instead, expect the team to likely use him in a fourth-line checking role, which obviously won't translate to fantasy utility.
The lesser Foligno brother saw his average ice time drop to a career low last year, but he still managed to scrounge up exactly 23 points for the third straight season. The very definition of a grinder, the 26-year-old has averaged over 200 hits over the last five seasons and topped 70 PIM in each of the last three, but his offensive limitations restrict him to the fourth line and keep him completely out of the mix for power-play time. The Wild like his contributions while in a checking role, but don't expect that role to change.
The good news is that Foligno has improved every season, but the bad news is that he’s done so only incrementally. He’s scored 23 points in each of the past two seasons, but the 25-year-old has offered very few indications that he’s capable of more. He does, however, play a very physical game, having ranked second among forwards with 279 hits last year, and Foligno’s ability to create room for his linemates is a definite asset. Traded to out of Buffalo to Minnesota in the offseason, Foligno may get more opportunities to produce offense under Bruce Boudreau, but it’s going to be hard for him to work his way into the top-six mix unless the Wild are hit with injuries
After three straight years of trying to prove that he was more than just a fourth-line grinder, Foligno broke through this past season by setting career highs with 10 goals and 23 points while continuing to display his customary physical edge (193 hits). He’s just 24 years old, so his best seasons are still ahead of him, and if he can score 20 goals without sacrificing the physical edge he plays with, he could be a very valuable fantasy player. For now, he has to prove that there's still room for growth in his game, and it’s quite possible we'll see that with the rest of the Sabres’ young players coming into their own.
Entering the final season of his two-year deal, Foligno is still looking for a break out after scoring eight goals and 20 points in 2014-15, making it the third straight year that he's improved his point totals by just one point. Foligno played in 57 games due to a hand injury and never seemed to find his niche on the team, frequently spending time as a healthy scratch. He's expected to play a third-line checking role this season, but can't afford to be inconsistent or he'll risk losing his spot in the lineup.
Despite a disappointing season that saw Foligno net only 19 points in 74 games, the Sabres extended the promising young forward with a two-year contract this summer. Given his lack of offensive output, the move speaks to Foligno’s potential and the faith the Sabres have in him. The Sabres are a much better team when Foligno can contribute, as he is arguably the team’s most physical forward. In 135 career NHL games, Foligno has 50 points and 132 penalty minutes. Much of Foligno’s production will depend on where he plays in the lineup, but there’s no denying the son of famed Sabre Mike Foligno has the ability to become a complete player.
More was expected of Foligno than what he delivered last season, just 18 points in 47 games following a promising late-season debut in 2011-12. There remains a ton of upside here, and the intangibles he brings should keep him in the lineup every night. He’s also willing to drop the gloves, and shows some decent value in PIM leagues, posting 41 last season and an additional 38 in 33 AHL games during the lockout. Don’t expect Foligno to be an offensive juggernaut, but it’s not out of the question for him to approach the 40-point mark, especially if he once again finds chemistry with line mates Drew Stafford and Tyler Ennis.
Foligno became a fan favorite in Buffalo after being recalled from AHL Rochester in March, recording 13 points in 14 games. He found instant chemistry on a line with Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford, and he'll likely get an opportunity to produce right out of the gate in 2012-13. He won't continue to produce at a point-per-game clip, but has established himself as a player of interest, especially in keeper leagues.
Foligno, the son of ex-Sabre Mike Foligno, enjoyed the best juniors season of his young career in 2010-11. He signed an entry-level deal with the Sabres this offseason and will get his first taste of pro hockey this year with Buffalo's new AHL affiliate in Rochester, where a lot of eyes will be on him.
