Carolina Hurricanes Should Trade Justin Faulk

Justin Faulk has been a mainstay on the Carolina Hurricanes blueline for years, but the emergence of young talent may fuel the idea of trading the burly defender.

Justin Faulk is one of the first players one thinks about when the Carolina Hurricanes come to mind. Seen as a powerplay specialist and a high-end offensive weapon, the American rearguard has spent his entire career in Raleigh.

His overall performance hasn’t disappointed, notching 195 points in 417 career games (0.47 pt/game) coming into this season. In fact, Faulk has scored the fifth-most goals (48) of any defenseman in the league the last three seasons. He trails only Brent Burns, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Erik Karlsson, and Shea Weber.

Many tend to forget that Faulk is only 25 years old, some argue he has the capacity to improve his game. His name has been in the midst of trade rumors since last season. It became a popular one in the Duchene storm, and rightfully so. Not many teams have a young, top-pairing scoring defenseman with six years of experience under their belt.

Why would a team move such a valuable commodity?

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Foremost, Faulk is a piece that can fetch Carolina a very nice return. A lot of teams don’t have a blueliner of Faulk’s caliber in their system, and they would likely pay a lofty toll to acquire one.

This leverage could be used by Canes GM Ron Francis to potentially find help offensively. On top of an NHL forward, Carolina could maybe sneak in a draft pick upgrade as well in a deeper 2018 NHL draft.

The main reason the Hurricanes may trade Justin Faulk is the emergence of their other defenseman. Jaccob Slavin has slowly begun to gain national attention as a strong two-way player.

His partner Brett Pesce is a premier shutdown defender and analytical marvel. Ever since last season’s Ron Hainsey trade, Noah Hanifin has started to show his potential. A resurgent second-half lead to Hanifin finishing with a career-high 29pts last season.

The Boston College product is on pace for 40pts this year. Hanifin has looked much more comfortable this season, using his skating and playmaking instinct to control play.

Perhaps the biggest factor is rookie defenseman Haydn Fleury.

The organization took their time with the former 7th overall pick’s (2014) development. The team didn’t rush things and let him get proper seasoning in juniors and the AHL, and so far it’s paying dividends. The 21-year-old has been better than anticipated out of the gate, even leading the team thus far with a +4 rating. Fleury has even out-muscled Noah Hanifin from top-4 duties as a result. His ice time is steadily increasing as is coach Bill Peters’ trust in him.

Next: 3 Bold Predictions For The Hurricanes

It is becoming clear that both Hanifin and Fleury are emerging as go-to guys early in their careers, and a team shouldn’t leave young talent to rot in a bottom-pairing role. Will the two youngsters force GM Ron Francis to move Justin Faulk at some point this season?