BRIGHTON, Mass. — It’s been a rough couple of days for the Bruins and their fans since dropping the heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers.
Most of the Black and Gold leadership has had a hard time articulating exactly what happened, but veteran Nick Foligno was pretty clear about how he felt about the loss and his future as a Bruin on Tuesday during exit-interview day at Warrior Ice Arena.
“Yeah, I think, like anyone, I think we’re extremely disappointed, and I think we have to look honestly in the mirror and realize we didn’t get the job done,” Foligno said. “I think that’s the way you move forward, you take it on the chin, and you reflect and remember this feeling and put it toward what it’s going to allow you to become better from it.”
Regardless of the outcome, Foligno was very matter-of-fact regarding what the team achieved during the season; it shouldn’t be overlooked.
“It doesn’t take away from this group, I think that’s the, it’s a results business, and we didn’t get the job done so we’re disappointed for ourselves and the work we put in and our fanbase and the excitement that we created this year with the run we went on and not getting it done hurts, but it doesn’t take away from what this group’s accomplished and what we bonded over all year long, and we talked about a special group, it doesn’t take away from that, it is a special group and will continue to be, and we have to make sure we keep sight of that as well.”
The uncertainty of his future is something Foligno will be pondering over the next few weeks, even months as his contract expires at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.
“I think that’s probably the most emotional part too, not really knowing what’s going to happen here,” he said. “I think it’s no secret, I love it here. I’ve bonded with these guys, and we’ve gone through a lot, and I’ve felt like I’ve given what I can to this group, and I hope to come back and finish what we’ve started.”
Nicknamed “Uncle Nick” by his teammates and the Bruins fans, Foligno said he can’t control what general manager Don Sweeney and Bruins president Cam Neely decide; he believes the feeling is mutual between the parties.
“Obviously, I would prefer to come back, especially with the way things ended and what I foresee for this group, there’s still a lot of great players, and it’s hard to see because there’s going to be change, but you hope to be part of it and rectify what went wrong this year.
“I can’t think any other way, you know, and I’m so committed to this group that I can’t say in the past that, this is all of us right now, and I would love to stay, and I still feel like I’m a part of this team, a big part of this team and can help this team, so, it’s a hard one to answer because there’s so much unknown going into this offseason but I hope to be standing here again in the fall.”
As a healthy scratch, Foligno watched his teammates skate against the Panthers in Game 7 and feels that will only fuel him more in the offseason and upcoming season.
“I care a lot about this group, we’ve been through a lot, and we want nothing more than to be out there with them at that time. So, that one will eat at me a little bit, but it’s not going to change who I am or how I approach things. It’s only going to make me better; I’m looking for to putting that into my offseason.”
If the dialogue and ultimately a contract does not come to fruition with the Bruins, Foligno is not ready to hang up his skates and will entertain the option of playing for another team.
“Absolutely, yeah, definitely, I still feel like I have lots to give, and especially with the motivation of this year going into the summer, it can only burn the fire inside me even more.”
Foligno added that he feels 100% healthy and knows the conversations regarding a contract will take a little bit to start given the way the season ended and the uncertainty of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci’s futures.
