Tortorella: Foligno to remain Blue Jackets captain

After a 31-goal, 73-point campaign last season earned Nick Foligno the captaincy with the Columbus Blue Jackets last May, his first campaign with the 'C' has been a huge disappointment, recording just nine goals and 25 assists in 67 games.

But despite the fact head coach John Tortorella has publicly criticized his play, don't expect the letter to be stripped from Foligno's jersey.

"Nick is our captain," Tortorella said, according to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. "There's been zero discussion of (changing captains)."

While acknowledging that Foligno's had a "bad year" and "needs to get himself straightened up," the Blue Jackets coach says there needs to be a change in leadership throughout the team, whether a player wears a letter or not.

Foligno, meanwhile, appears to have a strong relationship with the new bench boss, telling Portzline they have discussed his role as captain at length.

"Torts has been great," Foligno said. "He's talked to me a lot and helped me through it. He understands it's my first crack at it, and it's going to get better. He knows my heart is in the right place. We're going to do it together."

The 28-year-old Buffalo, N.Y. native is the sixth captain in Blue Jackets history.