Marcus Foligno has led Hynes – Minnesota Wild's culture change

Marcus Foligno finally dropped the mitts for the first time this season against Luke Schenn during Saturday's game against the Nashville Predators. About 90 seconds into the match, the two were chasing Schenn asked to fight. The fight was also a repeat of a year ago, and Foligno was happy for a rematch.

After the match, Foligno said that fighting was part of his game and that it was necessary [then] and about 20 games ago.

Foligno's fight with Schenn was not about bad blood, but part of a long-standing rivalry between the teams. The Minnesota Wild and Nashville have a history of very physical games. Last year they had a total of 136 minutes in penalties in four games.

Folignos post-game comments emphasizing that the fight was not just to change the energy for that match, but for the future of the team. The Wild have had a great season. However, there is always room for improvement, and there have been games where Minnesota has not shown itself in the right way.

One strategy head coach John Hynes discussed for this season is making the team harder to play against and adding strength and size. That approach works. At 6-foot-4, 226 pounds. Foligno brings size and strength to the table and complements Hyne's coaching philosophy.

Last season, Foligno spent just 59 minutes in the penalty area, far less than the 97 minutes he spent there in 2022/23 and 112 minutes in 2021/22. The lower number of penalties reflects that Foligno has played fewer games over the past two seasons. Yet he has also reduced his penalty minute/match ratio.

While penalty minutes aren't necessarily a good thing and aren't directly related to physicality, they give us an estimate of how physical Foligno played season after season.

Due to injuries, we didn't see much of Foligno under Hynes last season. With Foligno finally back to full strength and Hynes pushing for a more physical approach to the game, it appears Foligno is returning to his more physical style of play.

A physical team tends to take more penalties, and the Wild have notoriously struggled with their penalty kills. While better than last year, they currently rank 27th in the league with a kill rate of 73.7%.

However, the strategy is to stay off the beaten track as they also rank 30th in penalties (70) and penalty minutes (162). The Wild have little room for error as the team stays off the beaten path. Still, adding physicality can be a challenge as it often leads to penalties.

Foligno could play physical and take penalties. However, he is smart about it and does not take unnecessary punishments. His fight might have landed him in the sin bin on Saturday, but it set the tone for the rest of the match and, hopefully, the season. It was a good penalty because it was an appropriate penalty, so the Wild wasted no time.

His second penalty was for hooking, but he stopped a shot on net and possibly a goal. Predator defense Roman Josi skated the puck to the net that was already deep in the defensive zone. Still, Foligno kept him out with his body and stick. Although it resulted in a penalty, it stopped Josi from getting the shot off.

With 3:44 left in the first period, Filip Forsberg carried the puck to get it over the red line and dumped it into Minnesota's defensive net. Foligno took the opportunity to approach him and lie down against him. The goal was completely pure, but it did bring intensity to the match. A hit won't stop an NHL player from making the pass the next time. However, it can cause them to hesitate for just a split second, which is exactly what a Minnesota player needs to get his stick or body in the way.

Foligno's style of play pays off 18:57 into the first period. Declan Chisholm grabs the puck at the blue line and Foligno rushes to the net. He weaves his way between the two Nashville defenders and holds his ground while also shielding the goalie. Chisholm takes the shot and puts it in the net.

Moments like these show how size and physicality can be the difference between putting the puck in the net and winning the game. Foligno has always been a physical player and ready to battle when necessary. With Hynes backing him up, I hope Foligno will take the enforcement approach and continue to drop the gloves this season.

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