The St. Louis Blues were able to get some revenge on the team that ended their season just over seven months ago, topping the Winnipeg Jets 1-0 at home on Wednesday. The lone goal scorer? Veteran defenseman Justin Faulk - his eighth of the season. With this, he moves to first place on the team in goals, tied with Jake Neighbours and injured forwards Jordan Kyrou and Dylan Holloway.
Justin Faulk, savior of the Blues 2025-2026 season?
Faulk has received an enormous amount of criticism in the last few years, with some of it definitely warranted. He has not played up to the standard that the Blues organization and its fans expect, especially considering the relatively hefty price tag the seasoned blue-liner carries. Faulk is a defenseman who is supposed to contribute on both sides of the ice, but last season he was only able to net four goals in 78 games.
This means that Justin Faulk has managed to double his season total last year in less than half the games, a significant improvement and one that has directly been responsible for a handful of the Blues' points this year.
Buy high, sell high?
With Justin Faulk's impressive play this season, an important question inevitably arises regarding his future with the organization. Given how much he is being paid and how poorly he has played in recent years, Faulk has been the center of a lot of trade talk between fans of the Blues. Unfortunately, under those circumstances, the chances of being able to find a buyer for number 72 are very slim. However, now that he is proving to be valuable, Faulk could very well garner a good amount of interest from a team looking to upgrade their offensive prowess on the blue line.
Doug Armstrong is aware of all of this. He has been public in making clear the availability of everyone on the struggling St. Louis squad, and he will likely be discussing possible trades involving Justin Faulk with teams in the coming days. Should he move on from Faulk, it is likely a sign that Army is looking to set the team up for success in the coming years and not trying to build a better team to try to salvage this season. There are good arguments on both sides of this issue, but the decision ultimately lies in the hands of Armstrong.
Regardless of the path the GM and organization choose for Faulk, he has been a great leader for this team since he was acquired from Carolina in September of 2019. His improved play this year also provides the Blues with a lot of options to improve the roster moving forward, something all fans should celebrate.