This time next summer, all things being equal, Marcus Foligno will leave Sudbury for Minneapolis, preparing for his 10th season as a member of the Minnesota Wild.

The father of three who celebrated his 34th birthday earlier this month is no longer the wide-eyed bull in a china shop who took the NHL by storm as a late season call-up in 2011-2012, racking up 13 points in his first 14 games after donning the Team Canada jersey at World Juniors the previous December.

"There is a maturing process; that's the biggest thing," said Foligno, having recently departed the family Long Lake stomping grounds as he battles his way closer and closer to the 1000 (NHL) games plateau (currently at 875).

"I've matured the most in Minnesota. In Buffalo, I was a young prospect and just kind of finding my way. Then I came to Minnesota and it wasn't all roses when I got here."

Foligno had little to no prior experience with being a healthy scratch.

"Bruce Boudreau (head coach) taught me a lot," said Foligno, now gifted with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. "I think he made me understand that you have to play as the player the team needs you to be and not necessarily the player that you want to be."

How times have changed.

Netting three goals in their first round playoff matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights, the strapping northern lad who did not even begin to play "AAA" hockey until what was then his major bantam season is now an integral part of the Minnesota team core, donning an "A" on his jersey since 2021-2022.

"I was happy not only with the offensive production (vs Vegas) but also my physical play was there again - and that is such a big factor for me to have," he said. "When I am physical, moving my feet, being aggressive, the offense will follow."

So too, at times, will injuries - or at the very least those nagging bumps and bruises that can render the 82 regular season grind of the NHL somewhat challenging.

So how best to find a happy medium?

"I've done a pretty good job over the past couple of years now learning that there is a time to be smart and a time to be more physical," said Foligno. "The game is instinctual and you want to play it as it goes but there are times where I know that I am better to drop back and get in our system than be out there on a one-man forecheck."

"You want to save the body for when it matters."

Part of that maturing process that Foligno alluded to earlier is the reality that when it comes to things that matter, it can't be all about just hockey."

"You start a family and it just seems that you are playing for a greater purpose now - and that humbles you a lot," he said. "The game isn't as big as you once thought it was - and that can be positive."

"You have a turnover or a bad game and when you get home, the kids still think you're Wayne Gretzky."

While their attachment to Foligno may not rival that of his own children, there is absolutely no doubt about the larger-than-life presence the man they call "Moose" has created in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

"The fans have taken to me as the Sudbury Wolves' fans did at one time," Foligno acknowledged. "It really does feel like that."

This hardly comes as a shock to anyone locally who knows the family. Simply put, these are really good people.

"You can say a lot about being a leader with the on-ice stuff but my dad has always preached about being a leader wherever you are. That's something we have always gravitated towards. You try and treat everyone with respect and don't take anything for granted."

"You might not be the best player on the team but they may still become your number one fan, just because of the person that you are."