Latest on Justin Faulk

4:32: NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti reports that Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said the report of a potential deal with Carolina for Faulk was not true. “No. We haven’t had any discussions about him.”

Saturday, 4:15: The Athletic’s Sara Civian reports that talks have picked up and that the Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals are discussing a deal that involve Faulk as part of a package that could include the rights and signing to Quinnipiac University defenseman Chase Priskie. Civian also points out later that a third team could be involved as it’s more likely that Priskie would go to Carolina, but with Washington’s cap issues, acquiring Faulk and his $4.83MM salary doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Regardless, it could mean that a deal is getting closer.

Friday: Deja vu all over again. The Carolina Hurricanes are shopping Justin Faulk according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic after a meeting this morning regarding a potential extension did not go well. These are almost exactly the same circumstances that occurred last year before the Hurricanes traded Elias Lindholm to the Calgary Flames. Faulk has one year remaining on his current contract and carries a $4.83MM cap hit.

Faulk’s name has been in the rumor mill for years thanks to his reasonable contract and divisive playing style. While he is an effective offensive weapon that has registered at least 30 points in each of the last six seasons, many have also criticized his play on the defensive side of the puck. Still, right-handed defensemen who can run a powerplay and log more than 22 minutes a night don’t come around very often and the Hurricanes are likely getting plenty of interest in the 27-year old. The fact that Carolina has been looking to upgrade their forward ranks for some time should only fuel these talks, as will the presence of both Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce on the Hurricanes roster, outstanding right-handed defensmen in their own rights.

It is important to note that the Hurricanes also have four selections in the first two rounds this weekend and plenty of prospect capital to pull off a bigger acquisition if they go down that path. The team has finally gotten to the point of playoff contention and likely doesn’t want to give up their place in the Eastern Conference power rankings.

One thing that might be slowing down any Carolina acquisitions however is the pending contract status of restricted free agent Sebastian Aho, who is in line for an enormous raise. Not only did Aho set career highs in almost every offensive category—30 goals and 83 points will do that—he also proved that he could be a full-time option at center, making his next contract even more lucrative. While Carolina doesn’t exactly operate as a cap ceiling team, they do need to worry about their overall budget for next season and the uncertainty of Aho’s deal and the goaltending position makes it difficult.