*Photo from the Columbus Dispatch*
Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno is on the move. Foligno has been traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of a 3 team trade with the San Jose Sharks, according to Frank Seravalli of TSN. Foligno was first traded to the Sharks, who then immediately flipped him to Toronto. Both Columbus and San Jose are retaining part of Foligno's salary. The deal has been confirmed.
In the 3 team trade, Foligno and Sharks forward Stefan Noesen are heading to the Maple Leafs, a first and a 4th round pick are heading to the Blue Jackets, and the Sharks are getting a 4th round pick. Foligno has been captain of the Blue Jackets since May of 2015, and will be a UFA after the season.
Foligno said of being traded amidst the trade rumors that "It was an emotional couple of days. I have the utmost respect for Jarmo and how he brought this to my attention, talking about how if there was something that made sense for the team that he would try to keep me in the loop, and that meant a lot to me. Ultimately, it's always what's best for the team, but he was able to fill me in on some things and see where I was headed, and it just fell into place where it worked out to come to Toronto."
Foligno joins the North Division leading Maple Leafs, who currently have a 28-10-3 record on the season, playing a crucial role in Toronto's middle 6 down the stretch. He has tallied 7 goals and 9 assists in 42 games played for the Blue Jackets this season. Foligno scored a career high 31 goals in the 2014-2015 season, the same year he was named captain. He will have to quarantine for at least 7 days before meeting his new teammates, as he is crossing the U.S. border with Canada.
Noesen has not seen much game action with the Sharks this season, who sit in 6th place in the West Division, with a 18-18-4 record. Noesen has only played 5 games this season, and doesn't have any points tallied. He has scored two goals and 4 assists with the Sharks AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.
The Maple Leafs land a key depth piece in Foligno, who can bring lots of upside, while Columbus continues their selling spree, with Foligno and Riley Nash both going to the Maple Leafs, and David Savard being traded to the Lightning. The Leafs also traded for goalie David Rittich from the Calgary Flames as well.
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