Red Wings Get Justin Faulk, Make 1 Other Trade Ahead Of Deadline

The Detroit Red Wings bolstered the right side of their defense ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline, as they gear up for what's likely to be their first playoff run since 2016.

As first reported Friday by Elliotte Friedman, the Wings are getting veteran right-shot defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues. According to the league's official transaction wire, Detroit sent defenseman Justin Holl, forward Dmitri Buchelnikov, and first- and third-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft to St. Louis.

It's an exorbitant price for Faulk, who is about to turn 34 years old. But the blue-liner is still productive on offense, as he's scored 11 goals and 32 points in 61 games so far this season, and he's under contract for one more season after the current one. And he fills a pressing need for the Red Wings, who needed an experieced right defenseman behind Moritz Seider on the depth chart. Veteran Travis Hamonic has struggled to crack the lineup, while Seider, Jacob Bernard-Docker, and Axel Sandin Pellikka's average age is 23 years old.

The Red Wings also sent a player out on Friday, trading forward Elmer Soderblom to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2026 third-round pick (via Friedman).

Faulk should immediately slot into the No. 2 right-side defense spot behind Seider, and he could prove a good complement for fellow veteran Ben Chiarot on the left side. The Red Wings are third in the Atlantic Division entering Saturday and likely just need to tread water over their final 20 games in order to get into the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

The Wings have spent plenty of years drafting and building a core lineup, and are now starting to cash in their chips to make a playoff push. Faulk represents their first sizable move in that direction.