Nick Foligno enjoyed a big jump in the Central Division standings with his move from Chicago to Minnesota at the trade deadline.
Even better? A family reunion.
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FILE -Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (74) in action during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Feb. 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri, middle, celebrates after scoring a goal next to left wing Joel Farabee (86) during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Philadelphia Flyers' Bobby Brink (10) tries to wrap the puck around Boston Bruins' goalie Jeremy Swayman (1) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Chicago Blackhawks left wing Nick Foligno, left, redircts a shot into the glove of Colorado Avalanche goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood in the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
FILE - Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin talks to the media prior to an NHL hockey game between the Wild and the Ottawa Senators, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn, File)
Finally, after 19 years in the NHL, Foligno is getting the chance to revisit a foundational piece of his childhood: playing with his younger brother. The Blackhawks sent their captain on Friday to the busy Wild, where Marcus Foligno has been a locker-room fixture for nine seasons.
“They’re probably the team I’ve watched the most outside of my own team, so I know what they’re about,” Nick Foligno told SportsNet in Canada. “I just feel excited to go and help that team.”
Marcus Foligno, 34, is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury but is expected back before the end of the season. He's in his 15th year in the league, an alternate captain who could potentially form a punishing fourth line for the playoffs with recently acquired center Michael McCarron and his older brother. Nick Foligno, 38, will join his sixth NHL team.
Their father, Mike Foligno, played 15 years in the league. Their mother, Janis Foligno, died in 2009 of breast cancer. Her surviving family members quickly thought of her after the Blackhawks agreed to send Nick Foligno to the Wild for unspecified future considerations, essentially giving a well-regarded veteran player one last viable opportunity for a postseason run. Nick has never made it past the second round. Marcus has never won a series.
“It’s pretty humbling. Honestly, it feels like our mom’s got a little something to do with that, smiling down on us today,” Nick Foligno said.
Wild general manager Bill Guerin, fresh off constructing the U.S. team roster that won the gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics, made Nick Foligno his final acquisition of an active but measured week. Even if he winds up as the 13th forward and a healthy scratch more often than not down the stretch, his presence will provide a boost.
Determined to help the Wild end their streak of nine straight playoff series lost, Guerin got a head start by landing star defenseman Quinn Hughes on Dec. 12 from Vancouver. The Olympian has been as good as advertised, helping the Wild keep up in the stacked Central Division with Colorado and Dallas.
More recently, the Wild added McCarron, wing Robby Fabbri and defenseman Jeff Petry. Then on Friday, they acquired wing Bobby Brink from Philadelphia, bringing the 24-year-old back to his home state. Those moves were for depth, allowing Guerin to overhaul the bottom two forward lines without sacrificing major assets as the Wild prepare for a seemingly inevitable first-round matchup with the Stars that would make one of the top five teams in the NHL a one-and-done participant.
The league-leading Avalanche toughened up by reacquiring forward Nazem Kadri on Friday, after earlier depth additions this week in forward Nicolas Roy and defenseman Nick Blankenburg.
“We think our group up front can play any kind of game,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said. “But you’ve got to get it done on the ice.”
The Stars, who took a 10-game winning streak into their matchup with the Avs on Friday, took a fine-tuning approach, too, by getting defenseman Tyler Myers and forward Michael Bunting.
Utah, which has a hold on the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference, added defenseman MacKenzie Weegar.
“I think everybody kind of got a little bit better. Everybody addressed their needs,” Mammoth general manager Jim Armstrong said. “It’s competitive. It’s the best division in hockey, for me. It’s a punch-to-the-face competition, not only on the ice but off the ice of our division getting better all the time.”
Edmonton didn't do much this week to get Connor McDavid closer to a Stanley Cup championship, though Jason Dickinson provides experience as a third-line center after arriving with young forward Colton Dach in a trade with Chicago. Vegas added forwards Nic Dowd and Cole Smith.
Anaheim, which entered Friday just one point behind the first-place Golden Knights, made the biggest splash of the Western Conference contenders by acquiring defenseman John Carlson from Washington in a surprising late-night deal. The 36-year-old, who has only played in the league for the Capitals since 2009 and helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2018, gives the Ducks an offensive-minded blue-liner with 771 career points in their aim to return to the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
“It’s a great team to come to. I think they are loaded with talent, loaded with some character guys that I’m really looking forward to playing with,” Carlson said. “I think I’ve got a lot left in the tank. I think mentally I’m better than ever.”
AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham in Anaheim, California, Dan Gelston in Philadelphia and Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
FILE -Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (74) in action during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Feb. 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri, middle, celebrates after scoring a goal next to left wing Joel Farabee (86) during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Philadelphia Flyers' Bobby Brink (10) tries to wrap the puck around Boston Bruins' goalie Jeremy Swayman (1) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Chicago Blackhawks left wing Nick Foligno, left, redircts a shot into the glove of Colorado Avalanche goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood in the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
FILE - Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin talks to the media prior to an NHL hockey game between the Wild and the Ottawa Senators, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn, File)
Alyssa Ramos' evacuation from Kuwait took 48 hours and carried her across four continents. The U.S. government did not help with any part of it, the travel blogger said.
“They keep going on the news and saying they’re doing everything they can to get Americans out," Ramos said after landing in Miami on Thursday. “I know for a fact they’re not.”
She said she repeatedly messaged the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait before being directed to the consular section, which told her it couldn't help her leave the country and advised her to enroll in the U.S. smart traveler program and shelter in place.
Ramos is among the many travelers who found themselves stranded in the Middle East and beyond after Israeli-U.S. attacks on Iran almost a week ago rapidly entangled more than a dozen nearby countries. Since then, U.S. citizens have described frustrations and growing fear as they encountered closed airports, canceled flights and confusing U.S. government guidance while Poland, Australia, France and other countries moved quickly to dispatch military or chartered planes for their citizens.
As of Friday, about 27,000 Americans have returned to the U.S. since the war began Feb. 28, the State Department said. The vast majority of them made their own way out without U.S. government assistance.
Chicago resident Susan Daley, who became stranded while on a work trip in the United Arab Emirates, arrived in the U.S. on Thursday aboard the first commercial flight from Dubai to San Francisco since the conflict started.
“Having the State Department or whoever tell us, ‘You need to get out immediately,'" Daley said, "but there's no help, so you’re on your own to get your own travel plans. That was the most stressful thing.”
President Donald Trump’s administration has pushed back against criticism that the U.S. response was too slow.
The first U.S.-chartered repatriation flight arrived Thursday and more were expected daily, the State Department said, though officials did not say how many people were on board or where the planes departed.
Two State Department officials said 30% to 40% of Americans offered seats on charter flights had either declined them or did not show up. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal operations, could not say how many people that percentage range would cover, but noted that about 13,000 Americans had contacted the department seeking information or assistance about leaving the Middle East. Not all of them were asking for or were offered seats on charter flights, the officials stressed.
With little practical guidance from Washington or U.S. consular offices, some travelers say they turned to WhatsApp group chats and social media for leads on commercial flights and alternative routes out of the region. Some started fundraising campaigns to help cover hotel bills and other expenses after days stranded in Gulf cities.
Ramos created several group chats Monday after followers of her travel account, “My Life’s a Travel Movie,” began messaging her for help leaving the region, too.
Within three days, more than 2,200 people had joined the chats. Members shared rides to airports where flights were still operating, names of trusted drivers and their prices and types of currency accepted.
In one message Thursday, a woman wrote that her family, including two children, had two flights canceled in Dubai and that her diabetic 2-year-old was running low on medication. Other members quickly jumped in to offer advice.
American Cory McKane also relied on a WhatsApp group while escaping Dubai. He eventually flew out Wednesday, but only after a long, sleepless trip across the Oman border. Rather than risk the crowds at Dubai's airports, McKane and friends rented a car and drove to the border, where he said taxi drivers were charging up to $650 to take stranded travelers to Muscat's airport where flights are still operating.
“Everyone’s been sending each other resources because, quite frankly, the U.S. has not done a single thing in any capacity. That’s been really disappointing,” he said.
Jason Altmire, a former three-term Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania, made it out of Dubai after the UAE partially reopened its airspace. He flew to Bangkok, where he and his wife had originally planned to start a vacation in Southeast Asia before becoming stranded.
“We never heard anything from the State Department other than the general email advising us to find our own way out,” Altmire said in an email interview. “I found this, along with the ‘you’re on your own’ State Department voicemail, to be infuriating.”
The State Department email, which Altmire shared with The Associated Press, advised Americans in the United Arab Emirates to leave “if they believe they can do so safely.”
“For those who cannot or choose not to depart," the email said, "we continue to recommend that they shelter in place at their residence, hotel, or other structure, staying away from windows, and leaving only as necessary to obtain food, water, medications, and other essential items.”
Democrats in Congress also criticized the U.S. response. In a letter Tuesday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, they wrote that “the lack of clear preparation, planning, and communication to Americans abroad is unacceptable.”
Rubio said Tuesday the U.S. had organized recovery flights but officials faced logistical challenges.
“We know that we’re going to be able to help them,” he said, while cautioning that “it’s going to take a little time because we don’t control the airspace closures.”
Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait and Syria remained closed, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. Azerbaijan also shut the southern sector of its airspace Thursday after accusing Iran of a drone attack that injured four civilians and damaged an airport building.
As of Friday, more than 29,000 of roughly 51,000 flights scheduled in or out of Middle East airports were canceled, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
While commercial flight options have been limited since the war began, air traffic was starting to pick up.
Qatar announced Friday it would partially resume flights for passenger evacuations and cargo through designated contingency routes. Dubai Airports, which runs the UAE city’s main airports, said it has facilitated more than 1,140 flights over the past three and a half days and was adding more daily.
Dubai-based Emirates said Friday it expected to restore its full flight network in the coming days, depending on airspace access and operational conditions, adding more options for passengers who have been relying on Oman, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan as key exit points because flights have remained operational in those countries.
Some travelers continued to find their own escape routes.
Trenten Higgins reached New York on Thursday after taking a taxi from Israel into Jordan and flying out of Amman. He said the State Department wasn't much help.
“Every alert that they gave and all the advice they gave was a day at least too late," he said. “Even when it wasn't too late, it was impossible to act upon and then they would just hang up.”
Associated Press reporters Wyatte Grantham-Philips and David Martin in New York, Haven Daley in San Francisco, Matthew Lee in Washington, R.J. Rico in Atlanta and Fatma Khaled in Cairo, Egypt, contributed to this report.
A family hugs after disembarking from an evacuation flight on a commercial airplane from Muscat, Oman, at the Henri Coanda International Airport in Otopeni, Romania, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Passengers arrive at Stansted Airport in Stansted, England, Friday, March 6, 2026 on a Government-chartered plane from Muscat, Oman. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
A plane takes off from the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport as smoke from an earlier Israeli airstrike still rises in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Thursday, March 5, 2026.(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A stranded passenger sleeps on the floor outside Dubai International Airport terminal as the airport resumes limited operations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
People walk out of the terminal upon their arrival from Amman, Jordan at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
