The Justin Faulk trade finally happened yesterday. It’s been a long, long time coming if we rely on the rumours over the last few…. years… or so.
I wasn't necessarily sold on moving Faulk and whether or not it was realistic, I thought it would have been worthwhile to at least entertain the possibility of an extension. Let’s not forget that Faulk averaged at least 33 points per 82 games in each of his last six seasons and has hit the 15-goal mark three times as a defenseman. Once Jake Gardiner signed though, the writing was pretty much on the wall for Faulk’s exit. Though Gardiner will fill in a very similar offensive role to what Faulk had, moving Faulk is still a subtraction from the depth of the roster.
Many joked about the deal Faulk got with St. Louis, that said, it’s really not so bad. Faulk is just 27 years old which makes for a prime UFA signing age and his $6.5M per year is far from the overpayments we’ve seen so many UFA contracts in recent years. The seventh year will be a bit rough and ideally you’d be looking for a shorter term but this is far from a terrible deal.
On how to judge this deal, it’s an okay trade. It’s nothing outstanding and you do wonder a little bit if there was the possibility to get a young, yet still NHL-ready forward in a better deal. But it also brings back a very good right-handed forward prospect as well as a relatively young defenseman who can either add depth or be flipped for more assets.
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OTHER HURRICANES ARTICLES FROM SEPTEMBER