Canes’ Faulk to wear ‘A’ this season

A day before the start of the regular season, the Canes announced defenseman Justin Faulk had been named an alternate captain.

The selection makes sense. Faulk, 23, was an NHL All-Star last season and the Canes’ most valuable player. He has played for the U.S. in an Olympics and in World Championships.

“It’s a definitely an honor to wear the letter,” Faulk said Wednesday. “But it’s not going to change how I play the game.”

Eric Staal is the Canes’ captain and brother Jordan Staal an alternate captain. Faulk, at times, has worn an “A.”

“There are way more in the leadership group than the three who wear the letters,” Canes coach Bill Peters said. “But bit of a younger team, bit of a transition period for us, and he’s a guy who’s going to be a big part of our program moving forward. He already is a big part of that. I just think there’s so much upside to him and we need to get him involved (and) a little bit more vocal, helping out some of these young D.”

The Canes put in their final practice Wednesday before flying to Nashville for the opener Thursday against the Nashville Predators. The Canes have finalized a 22-man roster, and Peters said forward Brad Malone and defenseman Michal Jordan would be the healthy scratches for the opener.

While Peters had talked about tweaking the lines to find a better rhythm, the lines will have Eric Staal at center with Kris Versteeg and Elias Lindholm, Jordan Staal with Nathan Gerbe and Riley Nash, Victor Rask with Jeff Skinner and Chris Terry, and Jay McClement centering Joakim Nordstrom and Andrej Nestrasil.

The defensive pairs will have Faulk with Ron Hainsey, John-Michael Liles with James Wisniewski and Noah Hanifin with Ryan Murphy. Hanifin will be making his NHL debut.

Peters said Friday that Cam Ward would be the starting goalie in the opener. Ward’s third and final preseason start was his best as the veteran made several sharp saves in a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“It’s an old cliche, but you only take it one at a time and my focus in training camp was to get the start in the season opener,” Ward said. “I’m excited about the opportunity.”

While a leader on the ice, Faulk, Liles and Wisniewski have launched the “True Defenders” program that will enable members of the military and their families to attend games at PNC Arena.

This story was originally published October 7, 2015 at 12:59 PM with the headline "Canes’ Faulk to wear ‘A’ this season."