NHL Trades and Rumors
Insiders Link Maple Leafs to Blues Three-Time All-Star
Another right-shot defenseman has emerged as a Maple Leafs trade target: Justin Faulk.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are sputtering out of control right now, and it’s incumbent on general manager Brad Treliving to do something about it. There are plenty of directions he could take to shake up the roster, and despite the team’s ongoing struggles, he still appears intent on operating as a buyer — at least for the time being.
We’ve already heard rumors connecting the Maple Leafs to Rasmus Andersson and even some chatter about Dougie Hamilton, so the message is clear: Toronto wants to upgrade the right side of its defense. As that search continues, they’ve been linked to yet another name in recent days, and that’s Justin Faulk.
According to Jeremy Rutherford and Chris Johnston of The Athletic, the St. Louis Blues defenseman is likely to be traded, and the Maple Leafs were listed as one of three logical landing spots.
“The answer is yes. His stock is likely never going to be higher, and the one year of term left on his contract ($6.5 million average annual value) is very manageable for contending teams. He’s helping the Blues stay (somewhat) afloat, but they have to start looking to the future on defense, and 2024 first-round pick Adam Jiricek is tracking to be in the NHL soon, and they already have Logan Mailloux. There’s simply no reason not to move on from Faulk, shed his salary and add assets… What teams might be interested? Florida Panthers, Utah Mammoth, Toronto Maple Leafs,”
The 33-year-old Faulk is in the sixth season of the seven-year, $45.5 million extension he upon joining the Blues via trade from the Hurricanes back in 2019. He’s been quite productive this season, having tallied 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) across the first 37 games.
Does Justin Faulk Make Sense for the Maple Leafs?
Given the major struggles of the Maple Leafs, it’s certainly fair to question trading away future assets for a player in his mid-30s.
Faulk would be a nice addition had they been living up to expectations as a playoff contender, but that is far from the case, and they’ve dug themselves a massive hole in the Atlantic Division. Not to mention, they have a lack of draft capital and blue-chip prospects, which further hampers their ability to add.
For those reasons, it’s hard to see a deal coming to fruition. That said, where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and there’s been far too much talk of Brad Treliving attempting to land a big-ticket blue liner for this to just be glossed over as nothing.
Next: Maple Leafs Analyst Thinks William Nylander Finally Crossed a Line
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