Our Scouting Report series continues today, and I will continue to focus on the biggest need for the Oilers; A right shot top-four defenceman. Last week we looked at Jason Demers, a potential UFA, and today we’ll look at defender Justin Faulk, who would significantly bolster the Oilers blueline, but they would need to acquire him via trade.

The Basics:

Defence

24 years old.

6’0″ and 215 pounds.

Shoots right.

UFA in summer of 2020. Has four years remaining on his deal.

Current salary: $5.5 million. (Cap hit of $4.833 milliion)

CAREER STATS

Season	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	PPP	SHG	SHP	GWG	OTG	S	S%	FOW%
2011-12	CAR	66	8	14	22	-16	29	5	12	0	0	2	1	101	7.9	0
2012-13	CAR	38	5	10	15	1	15	1	3	1	1	0	0	76	6.6	0
2013-14	CAR	76	5	27	32	-9	37	2	8	0	1	1	0	152	3.3	0
2014-15	CAR	82	15	34	49	-19	30	7	20	2	2	4	0	238	6.3	0
2015-16	CAR	64	16	21	37	-22	27	12	17	0	0	4	0	184	8.7	0
Career	–	326	49	106	155	-65	138	27	60	3	4	11	1	751	6.5	0

Icetime over his NHL career.

Year
  GP
TOI/game
EVTOI/G
SHTOI/G
PPTOI/G

2016
  64
    24:02    
18:56        1:53       3:12

2015  
82     24:25
    19:43       
1:59       2:42

2014
  76     23:24    
18:52        2:25       2:07

2013   38     24:00     18:22        2:59       2:38

2012   66     22:50    
17:59        1:49       3:02

Faulk has played top-pairing minutes since he debuted in the NHL at 19 years young. Faulk was the 37th pick in the 2010 NHL entry draft. He played one season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and when the season ended, he signed with the Hurricanes and played 13 playoff games in the American Hockey league. He played 12 games in the AHL to start the 2011/2012 season before being recalled.

As a rookie he played mainly with Jay Harrison, who was 28 years old with only 58 games of NHL experience. He’d played 401 AHL games, so he had pro experience, but not at the NHL level. Faulk and Harrison were the top pair in Carolina in 2011/2012, and the fact Faulk wasn’t completely overwhelmed is a testament to his ability.

During the lockout shortened season he tallied 24 points in 31 games in the AHL before heading to the NHL in January. Harrison and Tim Gleason split time evenly with him.

In his third and fourth seasons he played mainly with Andrej Sekera and his possession numbers, not surprisingly, improved. He was older, but Sekera is more talented than Harrison or Gleason.

Year
  GP      G-A-PTS      CF%
2016
  64
     16-21-37      52.3
2015  
82      15-34-49      55.1
2014
  76       5-27-32       51.9
2013   38       5-10-15       49.4
2012   66       8-14-22       48.2

This past season Faulk played 55% of his EV time with Ron Hainsey, 21% with John Micheal-Liles, 13% with Jaccob Slavin, 6% with Noah Hanafin and the other 5% with Michal Jordan, Ryan Murphy and Brett Pesce. He didn’t spend much time with a proven a veteran top-pairing defender. The Canes blueline is similar to the Oilers, in terms of having a lot of youth.

He was fourth on the Hurricanes in goals and fifth in points. The Canes were 27th in GF with 196, only three behind the Oilers’ 199, but the Canes allowed 21 fewer goals than the Oilers with an equally young blueline.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS…

Darcy McLeod (@woodguy55 on twitter) from BecauseOilers.blogspot.ca took a look at Faulk’s analytics.

SCOUTING REPORT

This week’s scouting report on Faulk comes from a current scout, an active NHL player and Craig Button from TSN.

Here is the player’s assessment of Faulk:

Big
body (215/218lbs) who can be physical.

A legit goal scoring threat, especially on the PP. Can
see McDavid feeding him one-timers all day.

Can
be a liability defensively, makes risky plays at times.

Assistant
captain with some leadership qualities. Has no
NHL playoff experience.

The scout gave these evaluations:

“Faulk has been their best defenseman the last
couple of seasons. Usually it takes defensemen a little longer to find their way,
but he has performed above his age. He logs the most
minutes, plays against
the oppositions’ best lines every game and hasn’t been overwhelmed.

“Excellent on the PP. He has a bomb of a shot and has put up terrific offensive numbers. I would
compare him to a younger Shea Weber at this point in his career, but without as much snarl as Weber. He has grown into a young leader of this
team. Is a likeable teammate, works hard and has yet to reach his
full potential.”

Here is Button’s report:

I don’t see him as an elite #1, but as a solid #2 D-man and a player who can be a key, key contributor on the blue line.

Playmaker

• With his feet & his
  hands.
• Can pass the puck
  extremely well.
• Excellent shot and deceptive
  in how quick he gets it off, how hard it is and how accurate he is with
  it.
• Can skate the puck up
  the ice and escape pressure.
• He’s quick and fast
  with very good agility & it affords him the opportunity to shake
  opponents and create space for himself.

Excellent
sense

• Vision is very good
  & he can open up ice with subtle moves.
• Confident & poised
  with the puck.
• Gets puck to dangerous
  spots at right times and gets puck to teammates who can take advantage.
• Uses deception and can
  make plays off the fake shot.
• Recognizes
  opportunities to exploit situations and has a quick strike ability.

Competitor

• Wants to make a
  difference.
• Catalyst for initiating
  action.
• Has a ‘daring’ about
  him which is more about jamming it down your throat rather than an
  arrogance.

Playing
vs. him

• Tough to deter because
  he can make a pass or skate with the puck or skate into the rush and get
  the puck.
• Defensively, you want
  him to expend energy defending cycle and playing down low.
• He’s too smart &
  recognizes opportunities so if you are casual or careless with puck, he’s
  quickly transitioning.

Great
Contract

• Which enhances his
  value greatly.

WRAP UP

Faulk would be a major upgrade on the Oilers’ right side. He plays a lot EV and would excel on the PP in Edmonton. He hasn’t had much offensive skill to work with in Carolina the past few years, yet he was still top-20 in PP production for D-men. His offensive numbers would improve in Edmonton, especially on the PP with Connor McDavid and company.

He isn’t tall, but he’s heavy and low to the ground. He isn’t a liability in battles along the boards and in front of the net. He’s only 24, and I suspect the risky part of his game will slowly diminish in his mid to late 20s, like we’ve seen with other offensive defensemen.

What would it cost to acquire him and why would the Hurricanes trade him?

I can tell you with certainty the Hurricanes would consider moving him for the right deal. They recognize if they want something good, an offensive centre and something else, then they need to give up something. They are high on Hanafin, Slavin and Pesce. They also have Hayden Fleury (seventh overall in 2014) in their system. Moving Faulk isn’t their first choice, but they will listen.

The Canes are looking for a scoring centre and a scoring winger. Would Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Griffen Reinhart for Faulk work? What about Jordan Eberle and Brandon Davidson?

Any deal with Faulk would have to include one of RNH or Eberle, and something else.

Faulk’s age, skillset, potential growth and four year contract have him as the #1 option I would look to acquire if I was Peter Chiarelli. It won’t be an easy trade, and it would likely cost you a few very good pieces, but I believe he’d be worth it.

SING OR SUPPORT

If you can sing, then submit your :30 demo to [email protected] before Friday, May 20th. If you just want to have fun, buy a ticket. They are $35, but you receive $45 in GCs at the door. So it bascially costs you nothing, but the proceeds will go to MS and some will go towards the Red Cross to support Fort McMurray. You can buy tickets here. Trust me, it is a great time.

Recently by Jason Gregor:  

• Monday Musings: NCAA Free Agents
• Can Maroon become a regular top-six forward?
• Scouting report: Demers
• Trade Talk
• Monday Musings: Game Seven
• Oilers trade talk
• Does hitting mean you don’t have the puck?