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Nick Foligno inks 6-year, $33 million extension with Blue Jackets

Nick Foligno inks 6-year, $33 million extension with Blue Jackets

Nick Foligno is leaving behind 2014 on a high note. Wednesday's game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild will be his 500th in the NHL, and when he steps on the ice he'll be a richer man.

Before the game the Blue Jackets announced that they've extended the 27-year old Foligno with a six-year deal worth $33 million.

From the Blue Jackets:

“Nick has been an important contributor to the growth of our team over the past two years and keeping him in the Blue Jackets family has been a priority,” said [GM Jarmo] Kekalainen. “The fact that we were able to get this deal done is a testament to Nick’s commitment to our team and this community and we couldn’t be more excited that he will be a Blue Jacket for many years to come.”

Foligno currently leads Columbus in scoring with 17 goals and 31 points. He's only breached the 40-point mark once in his career, 2011-12, and last season he set a career high in goals with 18. Safe to say, he picked a good year to be on the cusp of setting career highs in production.

The signing also means another potential unrestricted free agent is off the market, a market that is currently quite thin to begin with. Foligno was always going to get paid, whether by Columbus or a new team in the summer, thanks to the 2015 UFA crop. He's a "heart-and-soul" player for the Blue Jackets, as Aaron Portzline put it; a player who's taken on a leadership role within the team and been part of the franchise's resurgence.

The Foligno extension checks off one name on Kekalainen's list of player's to re-sign. Sergei Bobrovsky (RFA) is the next big name to extend, with Cam Atkinson (RFA) and Mark Letestu (UFA) likely right behind him.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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