NHL trade rumors: Anaheim Ducks interested in Justin Faulk
According to the latest NHL trade rumors, the Carolina Hurricanes and Anaheim Ducks have been intensely discussing a trade involving defenseman Justin Faulk.
Defenseman Justin Faulk is no stranger to NHL trade rumors. His name has been tossed around in rumors for a while now. The Carolina Hurricanes signing Jake Gardiner to a four-year deal has revived those discussions. Faulk’s latest suitor, according to the latest rumors, is the Anaheim Ducks.
This report comes from Sportsnet‘s Elliotte Friedman. Friedman notes the Hurricanes and Ducks have been intensely discussing a trade. However, there are some potential barriers to a potential trade.
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The primary thing holding up a potential deal could be Faulk’s no-trade clause. His contract allows him to block a trade to 16 teams. The Ducks are believed to be a part of that list, according to Friedman. Also, he notes they would like to extend Faulk, which could further complicate things. It’s worth noting he has one year left on his deal before becoming a free agent.
Cap space could be another holdup. Though the Hurricanes are listed as having no cap space on Cap Friendly, it wouldn’t be hard for them to create some. They could put Trevor van Riemsdyk on the LTIR, depending on how his recovery from injury is going.
Also, the Hurricanes are listed as having eight defensemen and 14 forwards. They could send one of each down. Sending down James Reimer and calling up Alex Nedeljkovic could save them some cap space as well.
The Ducks have enough space for Faulk, but the Hurricanes will likely want an NHL player for him. They’re a team looking to improve on last season and no one has ever suffered because they had too much defensive depth. It will be interesting to see if the Ducks can swing a trade.
Carolina has tried to sign Faulk to an extension, but it doesn’t sound like those talks are going well. The Gardiner signing makes Faulk a bit of a luxury for the Hurricanes, though it sounds like they’d be fine hanging onto him for one more season.
The Ducks could use someone like Faulk, especially after trading Brandon Montour last season. Josh Manson is their only strong option on the right side. It’s worth noting Anaheim was interested in adding Kevin Shattenkirk this summer, so they definitely need some help on the right side. The Ducks could also use a power-play QB, which Faulk has experience at.