It has been a difficult season for the St. Louis Blues. They are currently in seventh place in the Central Division and have now lost five of their last seven games. This has led to speculation that the Blues could trade players ahead of the trade deadline. One of the hot names for the team to be looking at moving is defenseman Justin Faulk.
If he becomes available, there will be multiple suitors for the veteran blue liner.
Faulk was the 37th overall selection of the 2010 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. After a season of playing for the University of Minnesota Duluth, he signed an entry-level contract with the Canes, initially starting his career with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers. The defenseman broke into the NHL in 2011-2012, playing in 66 games that year and amassing 22 points. He would soon prove to be a solid two-way rearguard, including racking up 49 points during the 2014-15 campaign for the Hurricanes.
Ahead of the 2019-20 campaign, Carolina traded Faulk to the Blues. It was a struggle to begin with for the American, with just 41 points over his first two campaigns. Still, he would tally 47 points in 2021-22, and then set a career high of 50 the next year. The next two years were solid, but not his best, tallying 30 or more points twice. This season, he has already scored 11 times while adding 10 assists, putting him on pace for nearly 40 points.
Regardless, the blue liner may be expendable. The team already has Colton Parayko and Cam Fowler locked up through 2028-29, plus the Blues recently extended Philip Broberg. Faulk has a 15-team no-trade list, which could make moving him more difficult, on top of the $6.5 million cap hit for the 2026-27 campaign. Nevertheless, a team with a need for a solid two-way defender that has playoff experience and strong puck-movement skills will be attractive.
The Golden Knights need a backup plan
Over the summer, Alex Pietrangelo announced he would be stepping away from hockey. The Vegas Golden Knights have yet to replace their star blueliner. The top target for the team seems to be Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames. If the front office is unable to land Andersson, they should turn their focus to Faulk. Pietrangelo and Faulk were teammates on the Blues in 2019-20, which was Pietrangelo's final year in St. Louis, and the first for Faulk.
It could be difficult for Vegas to figure out a trade working within the cap for this season, but the team is expected to have more than enough space next season to take on the salary of Faulk. To begin with, the Blues blue liner will fill a void for the Golden Knights. Zach Whitecloud has been playing on the right side with the top defensive unit currently. The advanced statistics show that Faulk would be an upgrade over Whitecloud in 5v5 situations, with better Corsi factor against and Fenwick factor against rates.
Meanwhile, he will also be an offensive upgrade. He averages .36 more points per 60 minutes of ice time than Whitecloud. He could also improve the power play. Currently, Vegas has both Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin on the second powerplay unit. Faulk would be an upgrade over Hanafin on that unit, or could allow the Golden Knights to shuffle the units around with Theodore or Faulk moving to the top unit. With the Golden Knights in first in their division currently, and the weakest part of their game being on defense, adding Faulk could push them towards the top of the Western Conference.
Florida could use a right-shot defenseman
The Florida Panthers could be looking to upgrade on defense. The team is currently 24th in the NHL in goals-against per game. The Panthers have been solid at keeping shots away from goaltenders, sitting as one of the best in the NHL in opponent shots. The problem for the team is that many of the shots the team has been giving up have been in high danger scoring areas, something that could be aided by the addition of Faulk to the roster.
Meanwhile, the injury to Seth Jones has also created a need for the team. Jones was injured during the Winter Classic and has not played since. He had just three minutes of ice time in that game, as the team gave up five goals. While the defense was solid in the next game against the Colorado Avalanche, it has generally struggled. In the five games without Jones in the lineup, the defense has given up 16 goals.
If the Panthers are going to make the playoffs and make a run at a third straight Stanley Cup, they need to address defense. Faulk could immediately step onto the second defensive rotation, and when Jones returns, could create three solid rotations on defense for the team.
Could Red Wings add a veteran with playoff experience?
The Detroit Red Wings are coming off a victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. This was a match-up between the two top teams in the Eastern Conference. With the victory, the Red Wings are 28-15-4, placing them in first in the Atlantic Division and tied for first in the conference. The defense has not been great for the Wings, currently 16th in opponent goals per game. While Faulk would improve the defense, he would also bring playoff experience, something the Red Wings do not have a lot of.
Detroit has not been in the playoffs since the 2015-16 season. That was the rookie year of Dylan Larkin. The star forward has just five games of playoff experience. The team does have players such as Patrick Kane, with 143 games of playoff experience, Ben Chiarot with 66 games of experience, and JT Compher with 70 games of experience. Still, the majority of the roster does not have deep postseason experience, something that Faulk would bring to the table.
Faulk has played in the playoffs in five of the last seven seasons, with 45 games under his belt. He has scored four goals and added 16 assists in that time. Adding the D-man would bring not only defensive help, but also bring an added level of leadership to the club, which could help make their first playoff run in nearly a decade a successful one.
