With the seconds ticking down to Friday’s 3:00 PM NHL trade deadline, Steve Yzerman struck with a move to bring much-needed defensive help in the form of veteran Justin Faulk. The 33-year old right-handed shot cost Detroit a 1st and 3rd-round pick, prospect Dimitri Buchelnikov, and veteran Justin Holl.
Faulk has 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) on the season in 61 games for the St. Louis Blues. He began his career in Carolina, where he spent eight seasons before being traded to St. Louis in 2019.
He will slide into the second defensive pairing next to Ben Chiarot while playing on the power play and penalty kill units. Faulk fills a major need on the second unit, stabilizing the blue line with significant, productive minutes. His 33 points will rank second among current Wings defenseman, giving a boost to a Wings team that needs more offensive production five-on-five. He averages 22 minutes per game and provides a reliable right-handed option behind Moritz Seider.
Faulk brings 45 games of playoff experience to an inexperienced Red Wings group. He’s played in big moments and helps lengthen the lineup, easing much of the pressure that has fallen onto Mo Seider. Todd McLellan is currently relying on inexperienced defensemen in Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Albert Johansson on his second and third defensive units. Faulk allows ASP to shift back a line.
Yzerman pulls the trigger
The cost, a 2026 1st and 3rd round pick, plus a solid prospect in Russian forward Dimitri Buchelnikov, is a big price to pay for a quality defenseman with one more year of team control beyond this season. But, that’s the business of trading in the NHL. Getting rid of Justin Holl is a small bonus as well. Steve Yzerman has been very vocal about wanting to acquire players with term. The Red Wings entered the trade deadline with a treasure trove of draft capital and enticing prospects and finally deployed some assets to soundly upgrade the roster for a playoff push. Not only that, but they held on to top prospects Nate Danielson, Carter Bear, and others. This is a winning trade from Steve Yzerman and signals a shift in his mindset. The Red Wings are ready to win now. They likely are not good enough to win the Stanley Cup, but, in a wide-open Eastern Conference, anything could happen.
Yzerman struck two additional deadline deals as well. He shipped off a 4th-round pick to Ottawa in exchange for old friend David Perron. Perron, a pending free agent, is currently injured but expected to return in the next few weeks. Today, he shipped out Elmer Soderblom to Pittsburgh for a 3rd-round pick. Perron, 37, spent two productive seasons in Detroit from 2022-2024. He brings physicality and toughness to the bottom-six, something the Red Wings are sorely lacking. Soderblom was never able to utilize his massive 6’8” frame and found himself on the bench for much of the season as a result.
Past trade deadlines have come and gone with frustration for Red Wings fans with the lack of movement. This deadline, Steve Yzerman changed his tune and pushed some chips in to make the Red Wings a better team. They entered with a glaring need on the blue line and exited with arguably the best option available. Now, it’s time to end a nine-year drought and return playoff hockey to HockeyTown. Today marks a major step in doing so.
