It was back in June when Seth Jones received his first call from Nick Foligno about the Blackhawks.
Weeks before the Hawks officially signed Foligno, the then-Bruins veteran reached out to Jones — his former Blue Jackets teammate of six years — to get the scoop on the situation he might be walking into in Chicago.
“I tried to tell him as much as I could,” Jones said. “Obviously, it wasn’t all fun and games, what I was telling him. I said, ‘It’s going to be a challenge. You’re going to have your work cut out for you. We’re still trying to develop that culture with the Blackhawks that we had in Columbus.’”
Around the same time last summer, Hawks coach Luke Richardson and general manager Kyle Davidson sat down with then-Lighting veteran Corey Perry for about 40 minutes. They presented him with a Chicago sales pitch that covered, as Perry later described it, “everything from under the sun...from family to hockey to schooling.”
Their pitch to Perry was probably rosier than the one Jones gave Foligno, but ultimately, both well-respected, well-traveled veterans — incentivized even more by matching $4 million contracts — signed up for the jobs.
Now, less than halfway through the season, the Hawks have lost half of their haul of veteran mercenaries — arguably two-thirds, if Taylor Hall is included in the equation. The fact Perry’s departure involved such messy, controversial, drawn-out circumstances made it even more disruptive, too.
That saga has finally quieted down, but even more pressure and responsibilities have now been shifted onto Foligno, Jones and Connor Murphy — the Hawks’ three remaining alternate captains — as they seek to provide a roster in transition the guidance it needs.
So, how have they adjusted? The short answer is they’ve adopted more of a by-committee leadership approach.
During training camp, the Hawks collectively brainstormed and wrote down a few “core values” for their group. “Brotherhood” was one of them, Jones said. It took a couple weeks to rediscover that brotherhood within this new dynamic, but this week back in Chicago has helped.
“There was a little bit of a lull on that road trip, when the dust settled and you realized [Corey is] really not coming back,” Foligno said. “You could tell the energy he brings...was missing. You mourn that loss, and then you realize, ‘Alright, it’s not changing, so what are we going to do to get the energy back?’ We realized other guys have to step up.
“Now you’re starting to see guys think, ‘I learned, even in the short time, what [Corey] meant and why he was so effective in his role.’ You’re starting to see that from guys. Tyler Johnson has been a big example of that. [He’s] understanding, ‘Alright, I’ve got to do a little bit more here, talking to guys and being more vocal on the bench.’ Murphy has done a great job of being more vocal. Jones, as well — he’s not mostly like that, but he’s understanding [he needs] to drive that energy in practice.”
During Perry’s two months in the Hawks’ locker room, he didn’t actually speak often, but the way everyone quieted down to hear his message whenever he did made him influential. After 18 seasons in the NHL, during which he made the playoffs 15 times and went to the Stanley Cup Final four times, he had a lot of wisdom to share.
That’s why Johnson is particularly well-suited to step up and help the Hawks fill Perry’s void. He’s also somewhat soft-spoken, but he’s in his 12th NHL season and has gone to three Cup Finals.
Foligno mentioned Jason Dickinson as another guy who has embraced more responsibilities. Dickinson has always thought like a general manager, is one of the most intelligent players in the league and is playing very well this season, too.
Plus, Connor Bedard — the presumptive heir to the Hawks’ captaincy at some future point — and the Hawks’ other rookies have gained confidence over the course of the 25 games so far this season.
“Our young guys are getting a little older,” Foligno said. “They’re realizing there are right and wrong ways to play. [They’re learning], ‘If there’s a turnover here or I don’t make this play here, it’s going to cost us.’ You’re starting to see some maturity there.”
Foligno’s tradition of regularly inviting those young guys over to his house for dinners — he started doing that during camp and has continued doing so every week or two since — has helped accelerate their acclimation periods.
His wife cooks the meal, his rambunctious kids lighten the mood and everyone in attendance shares more of their vulnerable side. The most recent one was Wednesday, to give a sense of the regularity. It’s a brilliant idea, and he deserves a lot of credit for organizing it.
“It’s eight of us sitting around a table, laughing,” Foligno said. “We’re not in a restaurant; we’re in a private atmosphere. You break down barriers that way. A younger guy is more willing to speak up and more comfortable in a home environment. You get to chat with them more about their lives. Little things come out of those dinners that help the bonding experience.”
Foligno’s social skills and outgoing personality have indeed proven extremely valuable for the Hawks. He has become their de facto captain, especially in situations where one person must speak on behalf of — or to — the team.
But loudness isn’t the only form of leadership, and Jones and Murphy’s by-example approaches also matter.
Murphy mentioned how Patrick Kane’s “actions spoke so much higher than any words” in previous seasons, for example. Now, Murphy — as by far the longest-tenured Hawk left — fills some of that Kane role.
“I come from some experience of just being here, having some comfort with the staff and team, and knowing what we’ve been through and what doesn’t work,” Murphy said. “Knowing [my way] around can help with anyone who’s either uncomfortable or seems like they’re trying to find themselves in a new organization.”
And Jones has focused his leadership more toward on-the-ice accountability, ensuring everyone is executing — or at least trying to execute — the plays, strategies and skills they’ve heard from the coaches and worked on in practice.
“We want to make sure everyone’s doing the little things,” Jones said. “We’ve been hit-or-miss...when it comes to little shot blocks, little backchecks and things like that. Once you get those little things dialed in, the game becomes a lot easier.
“We’ve had a lot of young [defensemen] and young forwards in our lineup that are still learning the game. When you’re young, it’s hard to find that consistency every night. ... We all knew that was going to happen coming into this year, and we’re just trying to find a way to battle through it.”
That battling isn’t easy, especially without Perry and Hall. Although the Hawks have adjusted in terms of leadership, there’s a limit to how competitive they can possibly be on the ice with such a shorthanded lineup. They’re 32nd in the NHL standings right now for a reason.
But circling back to that Jones-Foligno conversation in June, neither of them had the illusion this would be easy. And after navigating some serious adversity and instability during the Perry saga, the Hawks believe they’re back on the correct long-term track.
“Sometimes on teams that have had rough years, you get some guys that are a little selfish or caught in that losing mentality,” Foligno said. “In here, there’s a lot of guys that just want to get better.
“Yeah, there’s going to be growing pains. Our record is what it is. But it’s a group that cares. When you come in here in this environment, you know at least there’s a process in place.”
