Blackhawks’ Nick Foligno takes leave of absence

There’s no timeline for his return. The Blackhawks stated that neither Nick nor the team will provide any further comment.

Milana was diagnosed with CHD shortly after she was born in October 2013, when Nick was a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. CHD occurs when the walls, valves or chambers of your heart – or the blood vessels near the heart – don’t develop normally before birth. She underwent an experimental valve replacement surgery, undergoing another operation at age five to replace an infected valve with a pig valve. Milana received another valve at age eight that she has to this day.

Father Nick had appeared in the first four games of the season with the Hawks, picking up assists in the team’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins last Thursday, and in the team’s 3-1 victory over the Utah Mammoth on Monday night. Foligno has a plus/minus of -1 while averaging 14:15 of ice time per game thus far.

The 37-year-old is in his third season with Chicago. He’s come off back-to-back seasons where he’s scored at least 15 goals and 35 points, having scored 74 points in 156 games with the Original Six franchise. Foligno is in the final season of his two-year contract that he signed with the team in January 2024. The deal has a cap hit of $4.5 million.

In 1,237 games, Foligno has scored 247 goals and 352 assists for 599 points, with another 27 points in 68 postseason contests.

The Blackhawks (1-2-1) are set to visit the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night.