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Not a lot went right for the Hurricanes last season. Despite good underlying the numbers, a combination of factors–including injuries and bad puck luck–found the team finish in the basement of the Metropolitan Division with 71 points. During the season, the team traded away key players such as Andrej Sekere and Jiri Tlusty. One of the bigger stories out of Raleigh this offseason was the team’s decision to buyout Alex Semin.

As the team enters 2015-16, two franchise cornerstones in Eric Staal and Cam Ward are both in the final season of their respective contracts as well.

There’s a bit of turmoil in Carolina and they enter this season with a lot of question marks. But one bright spot that should not be overlooked is defenseman Justin Faulk. In 2014-15–Faulk’s forth season of NHL action–the 22-year-old defender truly came into his own and his future is something the team team can hang it’s hat on in a time of such uncertainty.

Nine different defensemen skated at least 250 minutes at 5v5 for the Hurricanes in 2014-15. In the chart below, the x-axis is points per 60 minutes of play, the y-axis is relative shot attempt percentage, and the color is individual shot attempts. Higher, further right, and blue all indicate that a player was successful or productive.

Starting with the y-axis (puck possession) Faulk was a king among men in this group of Hurricanes defenders.

The team saw 3.94 percent more of overall shot attempts when Faulk was on the ice as opposed to when he was on the bench. The next closest is former Hurricane Sekera at 2.40 percent. Just three of the nine defenders were positive relative possession players.

The y-axis is point per 60 minutes of play. Faulk’s 0.96 points per 60 finished second only to John-Michael Liles, who posted 0.99 points per 60. But, a closer look shows that Faulk’s production was likely more meaningful and almost certainly more sustainable moving forward. While just 3 of Liles’ 15 5v5 points were primary points (goals + primary assists), 16 of Faulk’s 24 5v5 points were of the primary variety.

Faulk also fired way more rubber at the net than any other Carolina defenders, as his 303 individual shot attempts almost double the next closest. Part of this is that Faulk was the only Hurricanes defenseman to appear in all 82 games, but he also led the group in individual shot attempts per 60, at 12.26.

This isn’ t just a case of Faulk looking strong among a group of sub-par Carolina blueliners. He also compares very favorably to his defensive brethren around the league. Here is Faulk’s hero chart, encompassing his last three seasons, which were his age 20, 21 and 22 seasons.

Faulk compares quite well to defenders around the NHL. If we narrow our focus to just this past season, one in which Faulk’s game showed a lot of growth, his capabilities as a first-pairing defenseman in the NHL comes into even clearer focus.

In 2014-15, 204 defenseman skated 500-plus 5v5 minutes. The chart below shows how Faulk performed in different categories, with his ranking among the sample of 204 defensemen.

Stat Faulk (rank) Goals 6 (26th-T) Assists 18 (16th-T) Primary Assists 10 (9th) P/60 0.96 (40th) Relative Shot Attempt Percentage +3.94% (21st) Relative Scoring Chance Percentage +3.08 (35th)

Even in the category where Faulk finished the lowest, points per 60, he still finished in the 81st percentile among the sample.

The chart drives home the point that Faulk is in the upper tier of defensemen in the league and, at the age of 22, offers the Hurricanes a steadying force on the blue line for the foreseeable future. During a time of when uncertainty surrounds the direction of the Hurricanes, having a player of Faulk’s caliber is a bright side the organization can cling to.