Foligno signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators on March 21, 2007 after being their first-round pick (No. 28) at the 2016 NHL Draft.Foligno scored his first NHL goal against Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price on Oct. 18, 2007. He split the season between Ottawa and Binghamton of the American Hockey League and scored nine points (six goals, three assists) in 45 NHL games.He played the next four seasons in Ottawa and was traded to the Blue Jackets for defenseman Marc Methot on July 1, 2012. A restricted free agent, Foligno signed a three-year contract with Columbus on July 6.Foligno was one of three Blue Jackets players and was a captain at the 2015 NHL All-Star Game at Nationwide Arena. He set NHL career highs for goals (31), assists (42) and points (73) in 2014-15 and became the sixth captain in Blue Jackets history on May 20, 2015, after Rick Nash was traded to the New York Rangers.In his fourth season as captain, the Blue Jackets won a Stanley Cup Playoff series for the first time, a four-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2019 Eastern Conference First Round. Foligno scored three points (one goal, two assists) in 10 games.An unrestricted free agent, Foligno signed a two-year contract with the Boston Bruins on July 28, 2021.Foligno is the son of forward Mike Foligno, who played in the NHL for 15 seasons.