Red Wings acquire D Justin Faulk from rebuilding Blues

The Detroit Red Wings finally swung a significant deal before the NHL deadline, acquiring defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues.

The Red Wings sent the Blues defenseman Justin Holl, 22-year-old Russian forward prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov, Detroit’s 2026 first-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick that belonged to the San Jose Sharks.

Faulk, 33, is in his 15th NHL season, having played for the Carolina Hurricanes and the Blues. He has 11 goals and 21 assists in 61 games this season, skating 22:30 per game on average. He’s a sturdy right-shot defenseman who can eat heavy minutes at even strength and contribute on special teams. Faulk should slide in behind star defenseman Moritz Seider on the right side of the Red Wings’ depth chart.

Faulk has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $6.5 million and has a modified no-trade clause. Holl makes $2.25 million against the cap and is an unrestricted free agent after this season. Buchelnikov is playing in the KHL and was selected 52nd overall in the 2022 NHL draft by Detroit. He has had a strong season with CSKA Moscow, with 23 points in 38 games.

The Red Wings were notably quiet during the NHL trade deadline outside of acquiring veteran winger David Perron from the Ottawa Senators. It was an important deadline for Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman to do something significant after team captain Dylan Larkin criticized the team’s lack of activity at the 2025 deadline, saying “I felt the group didn’t gain any momentum from the trade deadline. Guys were kind of down about it.”

Detroit is third in the Atlantic Division with 77 points as it tries to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Right-handed defensemen were at a premium during this NHL trade deadline, which is why the Blues attempted to trade star Colton Parayko to the Buffalo Sabres — which he nixed with his no-trade clause — and eventually dealt Faulk to Detroit in an effort to bolster their rebuild.