Will the Carolina Hurricanes trade Justin Faulk?
The News & Observer: Following the Jeff Skinner trade, Chip Alexander reported Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said Justin Faulk’s situation was different. “We never said we wanted to trade Justin Faulk”, said Waddell. “People assumed when we picked up Dougie Hamilton that was the direction we were going to go, but we don’t feel that same way. We feel if we do stay status quo, we’re going to have one of the best defensive corps in the league. Saying that, if some team steps up to the plate for him or another of our players we’re going to continue to look at that.”
The Blues may trade top prospect Robert Thomas
Robert Thomas is the St. Louis Blues‘ top centre prospect, and the player most teams are rumored to clamor for when discussing a trade. The fact that he remained in the Blues organization after the blockbuster trade that brought Ryan O’Reilly to St. Louis was considered a huge win for GM Doug Armstrong. With 75 points (24G-51A) in 49 OHL games last year, Thomas is shaping up to be an offensive threat, and a huge asset to the Blues. However, if St. Louis plans on going all in, they may need to sacrifice Thomas to make it.
The Blues have made it clear with their recent acquisitions that they’re in a win-now mode, part of that may be GM Doug Armstrong’s perceived job security. If Armstrong believes that one piece is the difference between a Cup and a lost season, and Thomas is what it takes to get that piece, Armstrong will pull the trigger on a trade. The Blues are trying to force a window open, and if his seat is hot enough, Armstrong will dangle Thomas to help the cause.
