Photo: Hockey Wilderness

According to TSN’s Frank Seravalli, the Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, and Toronto Maple Leafs are among the teams that are potentially willing to trade a first-round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets to acquire captain Nick Foligno. Seravalli added that the list may not be conclusive.

Believe the #Leafs, #Avs and #caps are among the teams potentially willing to part with a 1st round pick in a Foligno deal – and that list may not be conclusive. https://t.co/jGjNBrHvS2

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) April 11, 2021

The Blue Jackets, who enter Sunday seven points behind the Nashville Predators for the final Stanley Cup Playoff spot in the Central Division, are selling at the trade deadline as they have already dealt defenseman David Savard to the Tampa Bay Lightning and center Riley Nash to the Maple Leafs.

Foligno, 33, has recorded seven goals, 16 points, a -3 rating, a 51.38% five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, a 54.09% expected goals-for percentage, and a 50.82% scoring chances-for percentage in 42 games this season.

In 950 career NHL games with the Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators, Foligno has recorded 203 goals, 482 points, and a -5 rating. The best season of his career came in 2014-15, when he set career-highs in goals (31), assists (42), points (73), and plus-minus (+16). He has eclipsed the 40-point mark just three times in his 14-season NHL career and has not done so since 2016-17. Though, the Blue Jackets’ average of 2.86 goals-per-game over the past four seasons rank 27th in the NHL.

Foligno won the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2016-17.

He can become an unrestricted free agent after this season and carries a $5.5 million cap hit this season. The Capitals, whose average of 3.32 goals-per-game ranks fifth in the NHL, currently have $1.175 million remaining in cap space ahead of Monday’s NHL Trade Deadline after dealing defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday and waiving forward Richard Panik last week so they would have to clear even more cap space to acquire such a player.

The Blue Jackets think that they can earn at least a first-round pick in exchange for their captain ahead of Monday’s trade deadline.

By Harrison Brown