First things first: I am completely weirded out seeing Justin Faulk in a jersey that doesn’t belong to the Carolina Hurricanes. After eight seasons of highs and lows, the seemingly endless trade rumors came to fruition and Faulk was shipped off to the St. Louis Blues.
Consistently a leader in ice time and the quarterback of the top power-play unit, his departure left a sizeable hole on the blueline. How would the Hurricanes respond to his absence?
Through five games, the answer is “really, really well.” Before we jump into the defensive pairings, let’s take a quick look at the games so far.