Buffalo native Marcus Foligno never got to experience playoff hockey in his hometown during a six-season tenure with the Sabres, who were mired in a 14-year postseason drought, but he was watching from afar during the club's run in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Foligno, the son of former Sabres standout Mike Foligno, discussed the team's long-awaited postseason return and his love for Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff during an appearance Wednesday on Sabres Live with Dan Dunleavy and Martin Biron.
"I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't watching closely with Buffalo in the whole playoffs," Foligno said. "It was a blast to see them get back into it. At the end of the day, I'm a big, big fan of the organization and the city of Buffalo, and obviously the team.
"Care deeply about a coach like Lindy Ruff too, who helped me so much in my career. I was watching very closely. And obviously just disappointed because Game 7 to me was pretty lopsided in Buffalo's favor and yeah, that's hockey sometimes, right? They had a great run and it was just so great to see that arena, that city back to where it used to be."
The Sabres dispatched the Boston Bruins in the opening round of the playoffs, but came up short in Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens with a spot in the Eastern Conference Final on the line.
As Foligno alluded, you could make a strong argument Buffalo was the better team in the deciding contest against the Habs — MoneyPuck gave the Blue and Gold a sizable 4.4-3.4 advantage in expected goals — but that matters not, especially when it comes to a win-or-go-home game.
Nevertheless, it was still a memorable turnaround campaign for the Sabres, who occupied last place in the Eastern Conference in early December before going on one of the best runs in NHL history.
Now the challenge for Ruff and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is building a sustainable winning franchise to make sure it doesn't become a one-off playoff appearance.
Marcus Foligno would be welcomed back to Buffalo with open arms
Foligno, a hardworking winger who's carved out an impressive 15-year NHL career despite scoring more than 30 points in a season only once, would fit in perfectly alongside the Sabres' current group, which was built with compete level at the forefront.
"Yeah, it'd be fun to have you on the Sabres and say, 'let's crash and bang in the playoffs' like you do all the time," Biron told Foligno before changing the subject to talk about two former teammates, Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville, being inducted in the team's Hall of Fame.
The 35-year-old forward is under contract with Minnesota for two more seasons, and the most likely outcome is finishing his career as a member of the Wild.
Yet, if an opportunity ever arose for Foligno to spend the final year or two back home in Buffalo, it's something the fans would probably enthusiastically support.
The 2009 fourth-round draft pick was always a bright spot during an otherwise miserable start to the Sabres' extended absence from the postseason. He steadily grew into an important two-way role before getting traded to the Wild in 2017.
He's continued to show love for his hometown over the years, and it's clear there's still an affinity for Western New York despite playing elsewhere for nearly a decade.
The likely unanimous support for a Foligno return is a contrast from the discussion surrounding the front office's free-agent pursuit of Patrick Kane, another Buffalo native who's now passed on a handful of opportunities to make a return to the 716.
Many Sabres supporters were vocal in stating they didn't want the club to sign Kane, who ultimately opted to sign on for a second stint with the Chicago Blackhawks instead.
The tone would almost surely be different if Foligno hit the open market. Seeing him skating on the fourth line could be a full-circle moment to close out a hard-fought career.
Perhaps he'd finally get a chance to skate in a playoff game in downtown Buffalo, too.
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