The Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues and Carolina Hurricanes made a big trade on Tuesday. The Hurricanes sent Justin Faulk and a 2020 fifth-round selection to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman Joel Edmundson, forward Dominik Bokk, and the Blues’ seventh-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft.
After the trade was completed, Faulk signed a seven-year extension with the Blues worth $45.5 million overall. The annual average salary is $6.5 million.
The #Canes have acquired Joel Edmundson and Dominik Bokk from the @StLouisBlues in exchange for Justin Faulk
More Info » https://t.co/p5oDq67Pf7 pic.twitter.com/Cll2BuoIwJ
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) September 24, 2019
“We are excited to add Justin to our core group for the next eight years,” Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong said. “He’s a Top-4 defenseman who averages over 23 minutes a game and we are confident he will be a strong addition to our club.”
The Hurricanes will retain 14 percent of Faulk’s salary this season.
Carolina is keeping 14% of Justin Faulk's salary this season #stlblues
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) September 24, 2019
The deal pushes the Blues $1.2 million over the salary cap.
After the Faulk trade, we now show the St. Louis #Blues with a projected cap hit $1.2M above the upper limit based on a roster of 24 (the limit is 23)https://t.co/WAUPbCJif9 pic.twitter.com/DJWYNiq3Ps
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) September 24, 2019
The longtime Hurricanes defenseman was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next July. Faulk became mired in trade rumors after contract negotiations went nowhere this summer with the Canes.
“We’d like to thank Justin for both his on-ice and off-ice contributions during his time with the Hurricanes,” general manager Don Waddell said in a release. “He was a great teammate and made a significant impact on the community, and we wish him all the best moving forward.”
Faulk has scored 30 points or more from the backline in six consecutive seasons. He also scored one goal and seven assists (eight points) during the Hurricanes’ Eastern Conference Final run last year.
Justin Faulk: "It's just nice that if you're going to move on and you're going to go to another team, another situation, it's another team that's having success and doing well. I'm happy to be a part of a team that's going to hopefully continue to have success." #stlblues
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) September 24, 2019
More from the Hurricanes:
RALEIGH, NC – Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has acquired defenseman Joel Edmundson, forward Dominik Bokk and the Blues’ seventh-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman Justin Faulk and Carolina’s fifth-round selection in the 2020 NHL Draft.
“Joel is a big, physical presence on defense, who knows what it takes to win a championship,” said Waddell. “Dominik was a first-round pick who has a real chance to be an impact player on the NHL level.
Edmundson, 26, totaled 11 points (2g, 9a) and led all Blues players with 68 penalty minutes in 64 games during the 2018-19 regular season. The 6’4″, 215-pound defenseman ranked fourth among Blues blueliners in plus/minus (+8) and averaged more than two minutes per game in shorthanded ice time, helping St. Louis’ penalty kill rank ninth in the NHL for the season. A native of Brandon, Man., Edmundson appeared in 22 of the Blues’ 26 playoff games, totaling one goal and six assists (7 points) to help St. Louis capture its first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history. A second-round selection, 46th overall, of the Blues at the 2011 NHL Draft, Edmundson has totaled 52 points (13g, 39a) and 248 penalty minutes in 269 career NHL games.
Bokk, 19, is currently in his third Swedish Hockey League (SHL) season, after totaling 23 points (8g, 15a) in 47 games for the Vaxjo Lakers in 2018-19. The Schweinfurt, Germany, native led all skaters in scoring with eight points (1g, 7a) in five games at the 2019 IIHF Division 1 World Junior Championship, helping Germany win the tournament to earn promotion to the top division. Bokk (6’2″, 182 lbs.) was selected by the Blues in the first round, 25th overall, at the 2018 NHL Draft.
Faulk, 27, registered 258 points (85g, 173a) in 559 career NHL games with the Hurricanes, posting more career goals and points than any other defenseman in franchise history. The 5’11”, 217-pound blueliner tallied 35 points (11g, 24a) in 82 NHL games during the 2018-19 regular season, and added eight points (1g, 7a) in 15 NHL playoff games as Carolina advanced to the 2019 Eastern Conference Final.
Headline photo: St. Louis Blues
