Insiders Name 3 Teams Who Should Be In On Justin Faulk At Trade Deadline

St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk carries the puck

The St. Louis Blues have a number of players whose names have been prominent on the first NHL trade boards that have emerged this season. 33-year-old defenseman Justin Faulk is one of the most likely to be moved.

He has one year remaining after this one on his seven-year deal with a $6.5 million cap hit, so he isn't a pure rental, meaning the return for St. Louis will be solid.

An elite shot-blocker who still averages close to 23 minutes of ice time per night, he is the second most sought-after d-man on the trade boards, after Rasmus Andersson. However, Faulk does have a 15-team no-trade list, which could complicate matters.

As Jeremy Rutherford and Chris Johnston have written in The Athletic, "His stock is likely never going to be higher." They go on to propose three teams that should be in on him, as he is "the kind of player contenders look to add before every trade deadline."

Florida Panthers

The Cats had a ton of success bringing in Seth Jones ahead of last season's deadline, and they will likely be looking for another blueline boost this time around. The team already lost Dmitry Kulikov to wrist/labrum surgery until at least mid-March, and while a top-four D isn't necessarily needed at this point, injuries do happen, and the two-time defending champs always want to be prepared.

Utah Mammoth

Johnston has already labeled the Mammoth as a team to watch at the deadline, and suggested they might be ready to take a big swing as the team is firmly setting their sights on making the playoffs this season. Their hot start to the campaign has fallen off over the past month, but they are still tied for the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.

Johnston has previously mentioned that a top-four defenseman could be on their radar.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Yes, we know that the Leafs need to improve the blueline, amongst other things, but where this prediction falls short is where Rutherford & Johnston refer to "contenders" looking to add to their d-corps. The Leafs are anything but a "contender" at this point, after yet another listless loss to Nashville Saturday night. They have been noted recently as a primary suitor for Andersson, so perhaps they do pivot to trying to land Faulk if the Calgary d-man can't be acquired.