Justin Faulk's one player to watch this season for the St. Louis Blues. Over the past two years, he looks like a player in decline, going from 50 points in 82 games in 2022-23, to 30 in 60 in 2023-24, before bottoming out at 32 in 78 last season.
Faulk has also gotten less physical and more turnover prone. He's also not stealing pucks like he used to, logging just 28 takeaways in those 78 contests. So, there are a lot of question marks surrounding a player who'd been a fixture in the Blues top four over the past six seasons.
Still, Faulk puts up respectable play, even if it's not as effective heading into his age-33 campaign. But the reason it wouldn't surprise me if Faulk's gonna head closer to third-pairing minutes, even if he starts the season in the middle? Logan Mailloux.
Newcomer to the St. Louis Blues defensive rotation could hinder Justin Faulk's ice time
Last season, general manager Doug Armstrong struck gold when he brought over Philip Broberg. During the offseason, Armstrong shocked everyone when he traded Zack Bolduc, someone who looked destined for a top-six role, for the unproven Mailloux.
While the trade's still a shocker and one we all have every right to question while it's still in foresight, here's the ultimate kicker: Doug Armstrong knows talent. If he didn't, he never would've seen so much success from Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway.
And he didn't trade a future top-six player for someone who'll spend too much, if any, time in Springfield. No, Mailloux's making the big club outta camp unless he's completely overwhelmed, something I don't see happening. If Armstrong thought Mailloux needed more seasoning, he never would've made that trade.
If Logan Mailloux catches on quickly, he'll cut into Justin Faulk's ice time
Mailloux, with just eight NHL games on his resume, is still a mystery. And yeah, there's always the chance he ends up a bad fit. But it's minimal, considering the talent Armstrong pawned off to get him.
This isn't to say Mailloux will also come in and play lights-out hockey. He'll have an adjustment period, no doubt when he's with the big club. But if he minimizes that adjustment period, watch out, because Mailloux will show throughout the season he deserves more than just stereotypical third-pairing minutes.
The only way Faulk would hold off an upstart Mailloux would be if he enjoys a resurgence early. If not, expect Mailloux's ice time to creep toward that 20-minute mark, especially as the game slows down for him.
Still, that shouldn't spell the end for Faulk in Arch City. He'll have another year left on his current deal, and if the Blues are playing good hockey, he'd still find value playing between 17 and 19 minutes a game.