The NHL’s trade deadline is on March 6. The St. Louis Blues may be sellers instead of buyers, and multiple players are rumored to be on the trade board. One of them is defenseman Justin Faulk, who is enjoying a strong offensive season. A team rumored to be interested in Faulk is the Florida Panthers. Today, we are going to construct a possible trade between the teams involving the three-time All-Star.
The Panthers’ Interest in Faulk
The Panthers are seeking a fourth trip to the Stanley Cup Final and third-straight championship. The road this season has not been easy as they have been without Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov all season and without Dimitry Kulikov since the second game. In addition, Seth Jones was injured during the Winter Classic and is currently out of action.
Injuries aside, the Panthers are seeking to improve their defensive core. Acquiring Faulk, combined with the expected returns from Jones and Kulikov, would add stability to the Panthers’ defensive core, which has been noticeably lacking.
Furthermore, Faulk would help improve the team’s power play. Granted, the power-play struggles can also be attributed to numerous injuries, but Faulk is an offensive-minded defenseman who can add depth on the man advantage. Faulk can also be used on the penalty kill and can be relied on for 20-plus minutes a game.
The Blues and Their Retool
Despite their success last season, it appears the retooling in St. Louis is not quite over. The good news for the Blues is that they have players other teams are interested in should they choose to sell. There is an opportunity to trade pieces for future assets.
Furthermore, trading Faulk would check two other boxes for the Blues. They would be clearing parts of his $6.5 salary from their cap. In addition, moving Faulk creates an expanded role for Logan Mailloux.
Proposing a Trade
To construct this suggested trade, I had help from The Hockey Writers’ Panthers writer Joey Ganzi, who shared his views on what a fair trade would look like and what the Panthers may be willing to part with. I thank Joey for his help and time and invite you to check out his great Panthers’ content.
What the Blues Should Ask For
The first piece the Blues should be looking for in a Faulk trade is a high draft pick. The Panthers do not own a first-round pick in the upcoming draft, but it is also likely Faulk does not warrant one, so the situation evens itself out there. However, a second-round pick is an appropriate ask. The Panthers do have two second-round picks (one is theirs and the other is an acquired pick from the Washington Capitals), so they could part with one and still have one to use. As of writing, the Panthers and Capitals are close to one another in the standings, so it is possible that either pick that goes to the Blues will not change when they use it in the draft order.
Related: Blues’ Extension With Mailloux Reinforces Commitment But Establishes His Runway
A prospect also needs to be included in addition to the second-round pick. A prospect I like from the Panthers is defenseman Vladislav Lukashevich. The Miami University product is a strong puck mover and is patient on the ice, limiting mistakes, but opens the door to capitalize on mistakes by the opponent.
Lukashevich is also a left-handed shooter, and the idea of the Blues having a future defensive core with Philip Broberg, Theo Lindstein, and Lukashevich on the left side is appealing. I asked Joey if he felt the Panthers would part with Lukashevich, and he believes so, given the injuries the team has had on defense this season.
To sum things up, the Blues should ask for a second-round draft pick as well as Lukashevich.
What the Panthers Should Ask For
The Panthers will acquire Faulk in this trade, but that is not all they will ask for. The Panthers only have $237,293 in available cap space this time. Bringing on Faulk would include paying a prorated portion of his salary for the rest of this season, with the total determined by how many days remain in the season when he is acquired. While they would not be paying his entire $6.5 million cap hit, they will be paying for some of it.
As such, the Panthers need the Blues to help them out. Going back to the Blues in this trade will likely be forward Evan Rodrigues, who has a $3 million cap hit for this season and next. Parting with Rodrigues’s cap hit will help pay what Faulk is owed for the remainder of this season and the next. In addition to sending Rodrigues, the Panthers will likely ask the Blues to retain a portion of Faulk’s remaining salary. Per NHL rules, a team can retain up to 50% of a player’s salary.
For the Blues, retaining some salary and bringing on Rodrigues is a fair price to pay for what they would be getting. Rodrigues could even be someone the Blues flip for additional assets at a later time, or he could be used in the lineup should some forwards be traded. What matters most is the draft pick and the prospect returning to the organization.
The Trade
In summary, here is the proposed trade between the Blues and Panthers:
- Panthers Receive:
- Justin Faulk (percentage of salary retained varies depending on when the trade happens)
- Blues Receive:
- Evan Rodrigues
- 2026 second-round pick (either the Panthers or Capitals’ pick)
- Vladislav Lukashevich
This trade benefits both teams. The Panthers are getting a player who can help them as they seek another Stanley Cup, while the Blues get draft capital, a prospect, and a player who can fill some possible voids.
The 2026 Trade Deadline is still nearly two months away, but you never know when a trade may occur. All we really know is that trades stop after March 6. Until then, it is all fair game. Of course, that is just one of the many things that make hockey fun this time of the season.
