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Hurricanes want Brandon Saad from Blackhawks in potential Justin Faulk trade, per report

The Chicago Blackhawks are looking to acquire Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk, and doing so could cost them forward Brandon Saad, reports Mark Lazerus of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Faulk, a 26-year-old right-handed shot, has two years left on his current contract and carries a $4.833 million salary cap hit. He has scored 30-plus points a season since the 2013-14 campaign. He scored 31 points (eight goals, 23 assists) in 76 games last season. Prior to the 2017-18 campaign, he had scored at least 15 goals in each of the last three seasons.

Saad, a 25-year-old left winger, scored 18 goals and 35 points in 82 games this past season in his return to Chicago from Columbus in the Artemi Panarin trade. Saad’s Corsi For percentage of 56.04 was the third highest in his six seasons, while his 13.01 high-danger chances per 60 minutes were fourth.

One metric that he fell short of from his previous seasons was shooting percentage. His 7.6 percent was a big dip from his 11.8 percent mark in his last season with the Blue Jackets.

It’s unclear whether the Hawks would be willing to depart with Saad to land Faulk.

The Athletic reported earlier in the week the Hawks are interested in bringing back goaltender Scott Darling into the fold. Darling signed a four-year, $16.6 million contract with Carolina after being dealt for a third-round pick. The 29-year-old struggled in his first season with the Hurricanes, posting a 13-21-7 record with a 3.18 goals-against average and .888 save percentage.

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