Leading up to the trade deadline, there don’t appear to be many untouchables on the St. Louis Blues’ roster, if there are any. One player that has generated interest is defenseman Justin Faulk, whose price has been set.
Speaking on NHL Tonight, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Blues are looking for a return similar to the one that the Calgary Flames received for defenseman Rasmus Andersson. In that deal, the Flames acquired Zach Whitecloud, a 2027 first-round pick, a conditional 2027 second-round pick, and college prospect Abram Wiebe from the Vegas Golden Knights.
It’s unquestionably a lofty price, but it’s important to remember that Faulk remains a capable top-four option and is signed through next season at an affordable $6.5MM. Furthermore, he has the capacity to quarterback a competitive team’s second power-play unit.
Even as he enters the latter stages of his career, Faulk has remained reliable. Over the last three years, he has scored 17 goals and 94 points in 196 games, averaging 22:18 of ice time. 28 of those points came with a man advantage. He’s never managed high possession metrics with St. Louis, but has averaged a respectable 90.9% on-ice SV% at even strength.
Several teams might be interested in Faulk, particularly to enhance their power play. Surprisingly, the Colorado Avalanche have the league’s worst power-play percentage, and recently traded puck-moving blue liner Samuel Girard to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Still, with four capable right-handed defenseman on the roster, it’s far likelier the Avalanche will seek a left-handed defenseman if anything.
Meanwhile, the Utah Mammoth are known to be looking for an offensive-minded right-handed defenseman. In fact, they were linked to Dougie Hamilton of the New Jersey Devils earlier today. If the Devils opt to hang on to Hamilton for their own playoff desires, the Mammoth could consider pivoting to Faulk.
Lastly, the New York Islanders could be a team to watch on the trade market. Led by the breakout of rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer, the Islanders are eying the postseason this year, and General Manager Mathieu Darche is looking to reward his group. Considering that Faulk isn’t necessarily a long-term commitment, he would provide an obvious upgrade over Tony DeAngelo in New York’s second-pairing.
You need a hyphen on “blue-liner” in the fifth paragraph, but you don’t need one in “second pairing” in the last paragraph – it’s a noun there, rather than a compound adjective that needs a hyphen (a second-pairing defenseman).
Friedman has ZERO credibility.
Come on blues, don’t screw this up
St. Louis wants the same return for a guy that’s four years older and with nearly three times the cap hit? (Sure, Faulk has one more year on the deal.) That’s a bit of a stretch.
Stretch is something I can reach for. To be fair, this feels like a canyon.
I laughed at the devils having their own playoff plans. That’s a good one.
Can the Hurricanes please send over #19 and KK for Justin Faulk and Rob Thomas? Purty please?
Tired of seeing 19 taking shifts/periods off, and firmly believe he’ll stop doing that in St. Lou. Would be tickled to retain at least half his salary.
What if we throw in Nadeau?? What if we threw in Tulski?!