Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno seemingly takes a dig at former $76,000,000 teammate while encouraging squad's recent improvement

Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno seemed to take some shots at former teammate Seth Jones while praising the team's recent improvement.

The Blackhawks fell 3-0 to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night. Despite the shutout defeat, the Blackhawks were competitive throughout the game, only being outshot by one, with the score at 21-20 in favor of the Avalanche.

After the game, Foligno commented that having the right people in the squad is allowing the team to play some of its best hockey, seemingly referencing former teammate Seth Jones.

"There's a cohesiveness with the group. We've gotten rid of some distractions, so to speak, and now there's a group that's trying to get better. Sometimes when you make hard decisions, they end up benefiting the group, and you're seeing that," Foligno said via Ben Pope of Chicago Sun-Times.

Nick Foligno and Seth Jones were prominent figures on the Chicago Blackhawks roster over the last couple of seasons. In February, Jones voiced his wish to be traded to a contending team, criticizing the club, stating that the team "hadn't made any strides to be better."

Jones, who was in the third year of an eight-year, $76 million deal, was traded to the Florida Panthers on March 1st. The trade package also included goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft.

The Blackhawks are 3-1-2 since trading Jones to the Panthers. Some might suggest that Jones' comments could have influenced Foligno's recent statement. However, it is worth noting that neither player has publicly spoken out against the other.

Avalanche blanked Nick Foligno's Blackhawks

The Colorado Avalanche blanked the Chicago Blackhawks with a 3-0 win at Ball Arena on Monday.

After two scoreless periods, the Avalanche broke through in the third. Artturi Lehkonen netted the game's opening goal just 31 seconds into the final frame, putting Colorado up 1-0.

Martin Necas then extended the lead to 2-0 at the 3:27 mark. With the game winding down, Joel Kiviranta sealed the win with an empty-net goal for the hosts. Nathan MacKinnon tallied two points, bringing his career total to 1,000 points.

Nick Foligno and the Blackhawks are set to take on the league-bottom San Jose Sharks next on Thursday.