Stan Bowman really needs to make a good upgrade on defense right now. The Edmonton Oilers are focused on getting veteran Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues.
Edmonton has a big problem with their finances. They only have $2,627 in available salary cap space.
Faulk has a big salary of $6.5 million, and fitting that into their budget is really tough for the team management.
St. Louis needs to cover a good chunk of his salary for this trade to happen. If they can keep 50% of it, it would greatly help Edmonton.
The Oilers really want to tighten up their defense before the playoffs. Faulk is known for doing his job well and adds strong support to the right side.
Bringing him on board would make the defense pairings much better. Throughout his career in the NHL, he’s shown he can play a lot of minutes against top teams.
The St. Louis Retention Tax
Getting the Blues to agree to pay part of that large salary won’t be easy. Edmonton will probably have to give up a first-round draft pick just to make that happen.
They’ll also need to trade away another player to free up some space. Sending a player away is the only way to fit under the salary cap.
Faulk has scored 32 points in 58 games this season. He keeps producing even though he’s playing for a struggling team in St. Louis.
He is really good at stopping other teams from getting easy scoring opportunities. The Oilers often struggle on defense, making his skills very appealing.
Edmonton doesn’t have a strong shutdown player on the right side behind their top defense pair. Opposing players have taken advantage of this weakness in the last three games.
Faulk had a tough time recently, with a score of minus-3, but his overall stats show that he is very good at stopping dangerous scoring chances.
As the trade deadline approaches, teams looking to win feel a lot of pressure. Edmonton realizes that they cannot handle another quick loss in the playoffs.
Getting St. Louis to agree to keep part of Faulk’s salary is the biggest challenge. If the Blues won’t cover some of the costs, the trade cannot happen.
The management needs to make a strong move to improve the defense. Acquiring Faulk while saving money is just the kind of deal they need to succeed right now.
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