St. Louis now has a natural centerman they can rely on deep in their forward lineup
Faksa, 30, has seen his average time on ice per game decrease over the last three years in Dallas. However, this doesn't necessarily mean it's a negative development. It indicates that he has adapted to his role with the Dallas Stars as their younger players have entered the league.
He can carry that adaptation over to the St. Louis Blues, bringing stability to the center ice position on the team’s fourth line.
Last season, the Blues had a carousel of players centering the team’s fourth line. The acquisition of Radek Faksa addresses that issue perfectly.
The Czech forward is a natural centerman. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, his size fits perfectly alongside Oskar Sundqvist and Alexey Toropchenko. Those three 6-foot-3 giants could wreak havoc together in a checking role for Head Coach Drew Bannister.
Faksa is also efficient in the faceoff circle, regularly batting around 55% on draws over the last four seasons. This will ensure trust in the coaching staff as they send him out to win key defensive zone faceoffs on the penalty kill or late in the game when defending a lead.
Oskar Sundqvist held the mantel as the team’s fourth-line center for the bulk of the season, but he struggled mightily on faceoffs, finishing with a lowly 41.9 winning percentage. Faksa now allows Sundqvist to play where he is better suited, on the wing.
Faksa is going to provide limited offensive production in his depth role. He recorded 19 points in 74 games last year in Dallas and a career-high four shorthanded points.
The Blues’ new fourth-line center shines brightest with his defensive acumen and ability to play as a checking forward. He will be a mainstay on the penalty kill and be utilized as a shutdown center for Bannister.
According to Natural Stat Trick, Radek Faksa’s analytical stats have improved immensely over the last two seasons, after finishing below 50% in many key statistical categories for multiple years.
Two of the bigger analytical stats that hold a lot of value are a player’s SF% (percentage of total shots while that player is on the ice that is for that player's team) and SCF% (percentage of total scoring chances while that player is on the ice that is for that player's team). These stats are recorded at 5v5.
Faksa’s SF% was below 50% for four years straight from 2018 to 2022 and in conjunction, so was his SCF%.
Over the last two years, he’s been above 50% (53.80 SF% and 53.39 SCF% in 2023-24), showing that his team is generating more chances and shots on net at 5v5 when he’s on the ice.
Those statistics are another indication of how he has transitioned his game to become a shutdown center in a depth role on a Dallas team that has made it to the Western Conference Finals in consecutive seasons.
The Blues have a one-two punch of Alexandre Texier and Radek Faksa down the middle of their third and fourth lines.
Only time will tell, but that seems like an upgrade from Kevin Hayes and gets Oskar Sundqvist back to the wing as previously mentioned.
St. Louis needed more experienced depth down the lineup. They got it.