Confirmed with Link: Faulk & 5th to STL for Edmundson, Bokk, 2021 7th

Dbrownss

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This. The coaching staff is mandated to play Faulk because of the investment in him. I don't believe for a minute that Berube doesn't take orders from management. If Faulk was benched often, or got very limited icetime, Berube would have to answer to Armstrong. This, together with the sudden departure of Bouwmeester, is why Faulk is getting lots of icetime. It is not because of his stellar play, and there is more to it than "the coaching sees something the fans don't."
I don't nessaseraly agree with Berube being forced to play him. Faulk is a veteran and is a quality player. So I think Berube is playing him on his own, and it would take much worse play to actually warrent benching him.
 
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Brian39

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This. The coaching staff is mandated to play Faulk because of the investment in him. I don't believe for a minute that Berube doesn't take orders from management. If Faulk was benched often, or got very limited icetime, Berube would have to answer to Armstrong. This, together with the sudden departure of Bouwmeester, is why Faulk is getting lots of icetime. It is not because of his stellar play, and there is more to it than "the coaching sees something the fans don't."
We all remember the organizational backlash when Berube put a $5.75M vet with an A on his chest on the 4th line. Or how healthy scratching a $4M Perron (in year 1 of his deal) almost got Berube fired. Or how management wouldn't let Berube stick with a rookie goalie outperforming a $4.35M Allen. Maybe he didn't have to "answer" to Army for those decisions because they only had 3 years of term left on their deals, which is basically a rental.

Berube has job security after last year, but made organizationally unpopular playing time decisions even when he didn't. I could buy that Berube may face some pressure to play Faulk, but not that he literally doesn't have authority to ever healthy scratch him. Suggesting that he doesn't even have the authority to play him less than 20:30 a night is absolutely bonkers.
 

MissouriMook

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This. The coaching staff is mandated to play Faulk because of the investment in him. I don't believe for a minute that Berube doesn't take orders from management. If Faulk was benched often, or got very limited icetime, Berube would have to answer to Armstrong. This, together with the sudden departure of Bouwmeester, is why Faulk is getting lots of icetime. It is not because of his stellar play, and there is more to it than "the coaching sees something the fans don't."

I think this comment is way off base. Army has always struck me as the type that understands that its up to him to build the roster and up to the coaching staff to make best use of the players he provides. Berube seems like a straight-forward guy, and we all know he didn't take shit from anyone when he played. I find it really hard to believe that he would roll over and "play the contracts" for the GM rather than dressing the players he felt gave him the best chance to win.

I'm not sure I've seen one player draw this much unwarranted hate since Brewer. What is clear to me is that the coaching staff keeps running him out there in all situations. If last year taught me anything, it is to trust Berube's judgment on who he plays and how he uses those players.

TLDR - There is no way Berube is giving that much ice time to a player just because the GM said so.

[Edited for @Dbrownss clarification of his prior post]
 

Reality Czech

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Unfortunately i can not see too many games because of private problems, so therefore i have no opinion about Faulk his game. But did you guys ever wonder why the trainers staff let him play because he is that bad? You can also ask yourself: is there something wrong with the coaching staff, because they putt him on the ice.

Here's the answer: he isn't as bad as some people on this site make it seem. They are just microanalyzing every shift he takes and trying to pick apart mistakes. Not a very productive way to evaluate a player. He doesn't make more mistakes than Vince Dunn, yet Dunn is popular with fans while many of them have developed a dislike of Faulk. Confirmation bias strikes again.

I trust that Berube and the coaches know what they are doing. It's absurd to suggest he's getting 20+ minutes of ice time because of the investment. I guess fans just always need a scapegoat and something to complain about. We are in first place, tied for 2nd most points in the entire freaking league yet fans seem to think the Blues would be SO much better without Faulk. It's actually pretty embarrassing if you ask me. Yeah, we get it...you don't like Faulk. Do we have to play this game after every Blues loss or every time Faulk is on the ice for a goal against?
 

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It's like some people post without actually reading the thread. There were many detailed, insightful posts criticizing Faulk's play, and presented further convincing arguments as to how his contract could be an issue going forward. And yet we are ungrateful, embarrassing fans who obstinately refuse to acknowledge Faulk's greatness, and further embarrass ourselves by questioning the infallible wisdom of the Blues management and coaching staff. In all of this, I have yet to come across one, ONE!, post that actually that actually explains exactly why Faulk is a "damn good player", and why his skill set should be used on the PK, and why he should be getting top four minutes. I would love a Faulk defender to actually defend their position instead of angrily admonishing his detractors. Anyway, it doesn't matter, I'm done. You win. Faulk is great. Faulk is good. Peace out.
 
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Reality Czech

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It's like some people post without actually reading the thread. There were many detailed, insightful posts criticizing Faulk's play, and presented further convincing arguments as to how his contract could be an issue going forward. And yet we are ungrateful, embarrassing fans who obstinately refuse to acknowledge Faulk's greatness, and further embarrass ourselves by questioning the infallible wisdom of the Blues management and coaching staff. In all of this, I have yet to come across one, ONE!, post that actually that actually explains exactly why Faulk is a "damn good player", and why his skill set should be used on the PK, and why he should be getting top four minutes. I would love a Faulk defender to actually defend their position instead of angrily admonishing his detractors. Anyway, it doesn't matter, I'm done. You win. Faulk is great. Faulk is good. Peace out.

Cool. I am tired of reading the hyperbole and exaggeration.

I didn't say you need to acknowledge Faulk's "greatness" but being realistic would be a good start. It seems you only see things in black and white, either Faulk is trash or he's "great." Most players fit somewhere in between. But there must be SOME reason why the coaches trust him, right? The thing is any d-man playing 20+ minutes per game will get exposed or look bad from time to time. Sometimes you get beat. It's also possible that a guy can be on the ice for a goal against and not be responsible (shocking, I know). It's as if you didn't even read my point, that if you analyze a player's every move you will always find something to complain about. Dunn is caught out of position at least as much as Faulk, but I don't see daily posts criticizing him. That's because people aren't actively looking for reasons to criticize him. It's annoying to read opinions from fans who seem to think they know better than the coaching staff. Clearly they know what they are doing a lot more than finicky fans.

So let's focus on the numbers shall we? Fans are focusing so much on the past handful of games, but quanthockey tells me that Faulk has only averaged 1:06 on the PK this year, less than any other regular d-man except for Dunn, who doesn't and shouldn't play on the PK. So what are you even talking about? From January 1, he has played slightly more on the PK (1:21). Bortz, J-Bo, Scandella and Gunnar average 2 mins or more. Petro doesn't play much more than Faulk, but do we really want him playing even more than he already is? Parayko has received the least amount of PK time since Jan 1. Why? Ask Berube but perhaps he wants to conserve his energy or doesn't want him blocking so many shots. Either way, Faulk has not been playing that much on the PK this season. So why are you even complaining about Faulk on the PK? I guess you're only focusing on recent games and not the overall picture.

Why is Faulk playing top 4 minutes? Probably because we don't have anyone better to take them. Who would you give the extra ice time to? Dunn? I guarantee he won't be any better on the PK and likely worse. Gunnar? Ok, if you prefer. I am willing to bet that Mikkola wouldn't look as good if you played him 20 minutes a night in the NHL.

If you're gonna criticize a player and think he shouldn't play as much, you have to suggest a realistic alternative. Simply griping about a player after every game is just annoying and pointless. The coaching staff should have earned our trust over the past two years, and I trust their judgment over the "eye test" of some biased fans. And as I said before, the Blues are tied for 2nd in the whole NHL....how much better do you think this team would be if they replaced Faulk with someone else?
 

simon IC

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Cool. I am tired of reading the hyperbole and exaggeration.

I didn't say you need to acknowledge Faulk's "greatness" but being realistic would be a good start. It seems you only see things in black and white, either Faulk is trash or he's "great." Most players fit somewhere in between. But there must be SOME reason why the coaches trust him, right? The thing is any d-man playing 20+ minutes per game will get exposed or look bad from time to time. Sometimes you get beat. It's also possible that a guy can be on the ice for a goal against and not be responsible (shocking, I know). It's as if you didn't even read my point, that if you analyze a player's every move you will always find something to complain about. Dunn is caught out of position at least as much as Faulk, but I don't see daily posts criticizing him. That's because people aren't actively looking for reasons to criticize him. It's annoying to read opinions from fans who seem to think they know better than the coaching staff. Clearly they know what they are doing a lot more than finicky fans.

So let's focus on the numbers shall we? Fans are focusing so much on the past handful of games, but quanthockey tells me that Faulk has only averaged 1:06 on the PK this year, less than any other regular d-man except for Dunn, who doesn't and shouldn't play on the PK. So what are you even talking about? From January 1, he has played slightly more on the PK (1:21). Bortz, J-Bo, Scandella and Gunnar average 2 mins or more. Petro doesn't play much more than Faulk, but do we really want him playing even more than he already is? Parayko has received the least amount of PK time since Jan 1. Why? Ask Berube but perhaps he wants to conserve his energy or doesn't want him blocking so many shots. Either way, Faulk has not been playing that much on the PK this season. So why are you even complaining about Faulk on the PK? I guess you're only focusing on recent games and not the overall picture.

Why is Faulk playing top 4 minutes? Probably because we don't have anyone better to take them. Who would you give the extra ice time to? Dunn? I guarantee he won't be any better on the PK and likely worse. Gunnar? Ok, if you prefer. I am willing to bet that Mikkola wouldn't look as good if you played him 20 minutes a night in the NHL.

If you're gonna criticize a player and think he shouldn't play as much, you have to suggest a realistic alternative. Simply griping about a player after every game is just annoying and pointless. The coaching staff should have earned our trust over the past two years, and I trust their judgment over the "eye test" of some biased fans. And as I said before, the Blues are tied for 2nd in the whole NHL....how much better do you think this team would be if they replaced Faulk with someone else?
Berube has been playing Faulk regularly on the PK since JBo went down. Sorry, I forgot to mention that.
 

Reality Czech

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Berube has been playing Faulk regularly on the PK since JBo went down. Sorry, I forgot to mention that.

Sure, that's to be expected. Bouwmeester was our top PK defenseman, so we need guys to make up for that loss. PK TOI since Feb. 12, when Bouwmeester collapsed:

Bortz 2:42
Scandella 2:26
Gunnar 2:07
Faulk 1:48
Petro 1:36
Parayko :58
Dunn :00

Of course, one of Bortz or Gunnar is usually sitting out. If people want to argue that we should bench Faulk and play Bortz and Gunnar then that is their right. Believe me, I understand why some people don't understand the trade. Faulk hasn't played up to expectations overall. My point is simply that he hasn't been as bad as some people suggest. I just don't see the point in repeating the same criticisms over and over again. It's not necessary to find someone to blame or criticize after every single loss. The Blues are in good shape overall.
 

Stupendous Yappi

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I don’t have a dog in the Faulk discussion, but I think any of the Blues options would look bad on the PK in comparison to Bouwmeester. It has to be someone. Bouwmeester was excellent in that role, even if he sometimes was less effective 5 on 5.

Bouwmeester was the only Blue who played but didn’t score a goal in the last postseason. But I’ll never forget my disbelief when he fired the puck OReilly tipped in for the first goal. I couldn’t see it go in. It took like a full minute before I believed we’d scored. And Bouwmeester had maybe the most important assist in Blues history.
 

Ranksu

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Mikkola was promising in those 5 games. 12min to 18min increased icetime and he was impressive at PK. His box out, pinch, defensive stick, physicality is far more superior than Faulk's.

We've Faulk and we cant do anything for IT, just deal and accept his limited skills. IT IS what IT IS. Warm body with 6.5mill.$ AAV.

Contract is garbage. Overpaid. 7-years more.

Army should try to move right away next offseason.

Army was idiot to give him that kind of contract. Wonder why he didn't learn previous mistakes.
 
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MissouriMook

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Mikkola was promising in those 5 games. 12min to 18min increased icetime and he was impressive at PK. His box out, pinch, defensive stick, physicality is far more superior than Faulk's.

We've Faulk and we cant do anything for IT, just deal and accept his limited skills. IT IS what IT IS. Warm body with 6.5mill.$ AAV.

Contract is garbage. Overpaid. 7-years more.

Army should try to move right away next offseason.

Army was idiot to give him that kind of contract. Wonder why he didn't learn previous mistakes.
FIRE ARMY!
 
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simon IC

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Sure, that's to be expected. Bouwmeester was our top PK defenseman, so we need guys to make up for that loss. PK TOI since Feb. 12, when Bouwmeester collapsed:

Bortz 2:42
Scandella 2:26
Gunnar 2:07
Faulk 1:48
Petro 1:36
Parayko :58
Dunn :00

Of course, one of Bortz or Gunnar is usually sitting out. If people want to argue that we should bench Faulk and play Bortz and Gunnar then that is their right. Believe me, I understand why some people don't understand the trade. Faulk hasn't played up to expectations overall. My point is simply that he hasn't been as bad as some people suggest. I just don't see the point in repeating the same criticisms over and over again. It's not necessary to find someone to blame or criticize after every single loss. The Blues are in good shape overall.
Fair enough.
 

Bluesnatic27

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For those that are questioning why Faulk is on the PK, it's probably because he's been one of the best PKers on the team thus far this year.

Yes, you heard me. He's been one of the BEST PENALTY KILLERS this year on the team. For any player with more than 50 minutes on the PK this year, he has the lowest xGA/60, resulting in the 4th lowest actual goals against/60 on the team. His high-danger corsi against/60 is 3rd lowest on the team, and actual high-danger goals against is 2nd lowest. Oh, and this is from having the 6th lowest on-ice save percentage while on the ice, meaning he's not being bailed out by his goalie. Granted, these numbers are for those who have played more than 50 minutes of PK time thus far, but I would say that anyone on this list could be considered a "regular PKer".

Have I been disappointed in Faulk? Yes. I loved him in Carolina and liked the potential he brought. He hasn't lived up to what he can do, or what he's shown he can do from years past. He's been a darn good player for his entire career and this year happens to be his worst to date offensively. It could either be a sign for things to come, but I'm confident it's an outlier.

But if there is one thing that he should not be condemned for, it's his contributions to the PK. There is very little or absolutely no data suggesting he's been poor there. In fact, he has more of reason to be on the PK than almost any defenseman the Blues have. Want to find the culprits behind the the PK's struggles? Start with O'Reilly, who has been downright bad while on the kill. There are plenty of complaints that can be made about Faulk this year. But him being a bad PKer, this year, is a complete myth.

Player Season Totals - Natural Stat Trick

(If my query filters didn't make it through the copy/paste, just input "penalty kill" for the strengths tab and put "50" for the TOI.)
 
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mike1320

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For those that are questioning why Faulk is on the PK, it's probably because he's been one of the best PKers on the team thus far this year.

Yes, you heard me. He's been one of the BEST PENALTY KILLERS this year on the team. For any player with more than 50 minutes on the PK this year, he has the lowest xGA/60, resulting in the 4th lowest actual goals against/60 on the team. His high-danger corsi against/60 is 3rd lowest on the team, and actual high-danger goals against is 2nd lowest. Oh, and this is from having the 6th lowest on-ice save percentage while on the ice, meaning he's not being bailed out by his goalie. Granted, these numbers are for those who have played more than 50 minutes of PK time thus far, but I would say that anyone on this list could be considered a "regular PKer".

Have I been disappointed in Faulk? Yes. I loved him in Carolina and liked the potential he brought. He hasn't lived up to what he can do, or what he's shown he can do from years past. He's been a darn good player for his entire career and this year happens to be his worst to date offensively. It could either be a sign for things to come, but I'm confident it's an outlier.

But if there is one thing that he should not be condemned for, it's his contributions to the PK. There is very little or absolutely no data suggesting he's been poor there. In fact, he has more of reason to be on the PK than almost any defenseman the Blues have. Want to find the culprits behind the the PK's struggles? Start with O'Reilly, who has been downright bad while on the kill. There are plenty of complaints that can be made about Faulk this year. But him being a bad PKer, this year, is a complete myth.

Player Season Totals - Natural Stat Trick

(If my query filters didn't make it through the copy/paste, just input "penalty kill" for the strengths tab and put "50" for the TOI.)
HOW DARE YOU SHED POSITIVE LIGHT ON SUCH A TRASH PLAYER
 

Ranksu

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For those that are questioning why Faulk is on the PK, it's probably because he's been one of the best PKers on the team thus far this year.

Yes, you heard me. He's been one of the BEST PENALTY KILLERS this year on the team. For any player with more than 50 minutes on the PK this year, he has the lowest xGA/60, resulting in the 4th lowest actual goals against/60 on the team. His high-danger corsi against/60 is 3rd lowest on the team, and actual high-danger goals against is 2nd lowest. Oh, and this is from having the 6th lowest on-ice save percentage while on the ice, meaning he's not being bailed out by his goalie. Granted, these numbers are for those who have played more than 50 minutes of PK time thus far, but I would say that anyone on this list could be considered a "regular PKer".

Have I been disappointed in Faulk? Yes. I loved him in Carolina and liked the potential he brought. He hasn't lived up to what he can do, or what he's shown he can do from years past. He's been a darn good player for his entire career and this year happens to be his worst to date offensively. It could either be a sign for things to come, but I'm confident it's an outlier.

But if there is one thing that he should not be condemned for, it's his contributions to the PK. There is very little or absolutely no data suggesting he's been poor there. In fact, he has more of reason to be on the PK than almost any defenseman the Blues have. Want to find the culprits behind the the PK's struggles? Start with O'Reilly, who has been downright bad while on the kill. There are plenty of complaints that can be made about Faulk this year. But him being a bad PKer, this year, is a complete myth.

Player Season Totals - Natural Stat Trick

(If my query filters didn't make it through the copy/paste, just input "penalty kill" for the strengths tab and put "50" for the TOI.)


I've huge respect of your vision for prospect pool etc., but reading all this about Faulk is mind-blowing. My eye test just tell me Faulk isn't proper guy for PK. Same goes with Dunn which hasn't used at all there. They both are in my eyes our worst defensive dmen from Blues d-core.

So next do I need to check my eyes and how Faulk plays at defensviely, learn ice hockey and who is good and who isn't? Or is it that blindly watching stats wise isn't the correct one?

I agree there lies truth in some stats and its good to use those, but saying Faulk is our best dmen at PK is joke.

I still believe when playoffs starts Parayko gets more icetime at PK and it will dimish Faulk's usage at PK.
 

AjaxManifesto

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Faulk will be fine.

Just a bad season for him after a trade.

Next season he will be better. I just think about how much folks were trashing Petro's captaincy in the years before the Cup win. Things change. Faulk will adjust and change for the better. Folks get kind of fixated on the present and don't look at the potential future.

I'm usually a pessimist, but I think Faulk can elevate his game.

I also think Petro is gone, so there will be more room for Faulk. Not that I don't want to see Petro stay or that DA is doing what he can to bring Petro back. I just think that the business of hockey is really tough when it comes to balancing financial reality and player loyalty. I think DA has been smart in his strategy of "defeating foes by 1000 cuts". If we can't afford Petro because it depleates our storehouse of good talent, our bench depth per se, then we walk away from a huge Petro deal. Petro will make his $10M/year elsewhere and we will move on to the next generation of talented Dmen with Scandella, Faulk, and Parayko as their veteran mentors. And ROR as captain. :)
 
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AjaxManifesto

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Faulk is very skilled. He’ll be fine

I think if you are a pro athlete you ignore all sports forums, OpEds, etc. and just play your game. Too many critics out there. I'm sure Chief and the staff are telling him EXACTLY what he needs to do to be more productive.
 

simon IC

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Faulk will be fine.

Just a bad season for him after a trade.

Next season he will be better. I just think about how much folks were trashing Petro's captaincy in the years before the Cup win. Things change. Faulk will adjust and change for the better. Folks get kind of fixated on the present and don't look at the potential future.

I'm usually a pessimist, but I think Faulk can elevate his game.

I also think Petro is gone, so there will be more room for Faulk. Not that I don't want to see Petro stay or that DA is doing what he can to bring Petro back. I just think that the business of hockey is really tough when it comes to balancing financial reality and player loyalty. I think DA has been smart in his strategy of "defeating foes by 1000 cuts". If we can't afford Petro because it depleates our storehouse of good talent, our bench depth per se, then we walk away from a huge Petro deal. Petro will make his $10M/year elsewhere and we will move on to the next generation of talented Dmen with Scandella, Faulk, and Parayko as their veteran mentors. And ROR as captain. :)
Faulk might be fine in the way Shattenkirk was fine. If he rediscovers his offensive game, he will be a great help, especially if he gets more PP time. If we lose Pietrangelo, we will likely see more of Faulk on the PP, which I suspect may have been Armstrong's idea all along. Faulk is always going to need sheltering, however. He is not good defensively and never will be. Before anybody posts a colorful graph trying to argue this, don't bother. I can't be convinced otherwise. He wasn't good defensively last season for the Blues, and he was never good defensively in Carolina. It is what it is. Hopefully he can find his offense again and become a valuable part of the team going forward.
 

Ranksu

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What I see in this playoffs confirmed Faulk wasn't anything special. He did improve his game a bit compare to winter games and one game he stood up well, but anything like wow you're easily 6.5mill.$ worth it and I was wrong about him.

One thing what happened was that Faulk was superior vs. Dunn. I don't know is that compliment or not. They both get man handled at d-zone and poor defensive.

Tho is hard compare when Faulk is 28-years old and Dunn is just 23-years soon 24. What is room of Dunn? Clearly this playoffs hurt his contract value if he stays in Blues.

I still view Faulk has been misused. It could be Pietro, Dunn and Parayko performed better and are better for blueliners than Faulk. Ofc there is Perron who slots better vs. Faulk too. Still this whole Faulk acquiring doesn't look reasonable and Army announce it was one reason why he get Faulk to improve our powerplay. Eh. Imagine if we had give Faulk one year prove me wrong deal after we extend him and extend our captain first? We wouldn't have this problem, I bet Faulk would jump in the deal knowing we're Cup Champs and he has to prove he's worth it to be here.
 

Linkens Mastery

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It feels like the Blues picked up Faulk without thinking about how different the styles of The Canes and The Blues were. And thought that his points were going to translate seamlessly into our system.
 
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LetsGoBooze

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In the final 2 playoff games I saw shades of what Faulk could be for this team moving forward. I hope he settles in and is more comfortable this next season. Not gonna deny his contract overpays him by a Mil+ and is 2-3 years too long, but at this point im just gonna support him and hope for the best.
 
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TheDizee

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lets see how he does with a full offseason and training camp this year. hes likely gonna be expansion draft bait regardless
 

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