Justin Faulk
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Right
Age: 26
2017-18 Stats: 8 goals, 23 assists (31 points) in 76 games
Career Stats: 74 goals, 149 assists (223 points) in 477 games
I vacillated about including defenseman Justin Faulk on this list. It’s not because of skill — or rather, it’s because he has a lot of skill and a lot of experience for a man who’s only 26. And he’s the Hurricanes’ captain, which always adds another layer of complexity to changing teams.
I finally decided to include Justin Faulk on this list because he’s the perfect Colorado Avalanche player. He’s fast and thinks the game fast. He’s agile on his skates and plays with confidence. He’s who we all hope Sam Girard will be in a couple years.
Justin Faulk is in the prime-time of his contracts. He’s four years into a six-year contract worth $29,000. His cap hit is $4.833 million, but he’s scheduled to make $6 million each of the next two years. He’s not cheap on the books, and he won’t be cheap to acquire.
Willing to give up: Tyson Barrie (Faulk is better and his cap hit is a wee bit smaller) and either a third-round draft pick (preferably ours, not Ottawa’s) OR a Vladislav Kamenev-level prospect
Line in the sand: Sam Girard or a player of his level, a first-round pick, especially Ottawa’s
Next: Avalanche Should Add Defensive Help
To be honest, I don’t think the Colorado Avalanche are going to trade for any of the Carolina Hurricanes players. I’m sure Carolina wants to do what the Avs are doing — stock up on picks and prospects for a rebuild. And one team already in the middle of such a rebuild can hardly provide the materials for someone else’s.
Of all the above players, though, it’s Noah Hanifin I’d most want to see coming to Colorado. Could you imagine him feeding off of and protecting our little Sammy G? That would be a defensive pairing for the next generation.