Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
NHL Power Rankings: #9
Coming in at number nine on our list is Justin Faulk of the Carolina Hurricanes. Like Gardiner, he is often overlooked because the team that he plays for is among the worst in the NHL. However, he is an extremely good young defenseman who should move up this list as he continues to improve.
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Faulk is an excellent possession driver (3.94% CF% relative at even strength despite a negative relative offensive zone start percentage) who has the ability to generate offense like few NHL defensemen can. His 24 points at even strength (0.96 even strength points per 60 minutes) and 49 overall points (1.46 points per 60 minutes) are quite impressive once you realize that he doesn’t have much to work with as far as forwards. Eric Staal was the only Carolina forward to have over 50 points in 2014-15. When a defenseman is your second leading scorer (which Faulk was), that’s bad news if you’re an NHL team.
Carolina is an entirely different team when Faulk is on the ice than they are when he’s not on the ice. When he was on the ice, 48.9% of even strength goals went their way. When Faulk was not on the ice, it fell to 42.73%. When Faulk was on the ice, 55.58% of shots at even strength went Carolina’s way. When Faulk was not on the ice, it fell to 51.06%. That is the kind of the difference that you expect an elite defenseman to make.
Faulk is going to shoot up this list over the next year or two. Expect him to become a household name soon as the Hurricanes continue to rebuild efficiently.
Next: #8