Earlier this week, The Athletic released its updated trade board, and there were a whopping five St. Louis Blues players on the list. We've already covered trade options for captain Brayden Schenn, who came in at number 25 on the trade board, and now we're going to break down the highest Blue on the board: Justin Faulk, who was ninth.
The 33-year-old Faulk has been having a solid season: he's cracked double-digit goals (11) for the first time since 2022-23, has 21 points (seven of them on the power play), and is eating minutes on the right side of the Blues' defense, averaging 22:36 per game. He's got one more season left after this one on his $6.5-million AAV contract and holds a 15-team no-trade list, which means GM Doug Armstrong does have some small limitations to work under if a trade does materialize.
The Blues continue to muck around near the bottom of the standings, and any hope of returning to the playoffs is quickly fading. As those playoff dreams slip away, there's no better time to move on from Faulk than now.
Trading Faulk would free up cap space this year and next, and would allow the up-and-coming Philip Broberg to take on more special teams responsibility. Faulk may be having a good season, but make no mistake: he's well past his prime, and there's a serious risk of age-related decline on the horizon. Selling high on a player who plays a coveted position (right-shot defensemen are always in demand come the trade deadline) who doesn't fit the Blues' timeline is a no-brainer. Plus, a Faulk trade would likely make the Blues worse in the short term--not a bad thing when a high draft pick could turn things around faster than expected.
Moving on from a veteran can have consequences, though. Faulk does wear an "A" on his sweater and is the consummate professional, recently surpassing the 1,000 games played threshold. It will be a big loss to the Blues' locker room and would signal that management has given up on the postseason for the 2025-26 season--but failing to sell high on a player that's only likely to depreciate would be foolish of a team in the Blues' position. At the very least, Faulk deserves a chance to chase a Stanley Cup Championship--and it's clear that won't happen in St. Louis anytime soon.