Steve Yzerman has made his first significant trade deadline addition in Detroit.
The Red Wings have acquired defenseman Justin Faulk from the Blues in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick, the Sharks' 2026 third-round pick, forward prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov and defenseman Justin Holl. Faulk will fill Detroit's glaring need on the right side of the blueline behind Mortiz Seider.
Faulk, who turns 34 this month, projects as a good fit next to Ben Chiarot on the second defensive pair. He's not a big player, but he possesses the puck-moving skills and mobility to complement Chiarot and help the Red Wings get up the ice at five-on-five, which has been an issue for them this season.
Faulk has logged big minutes against top competition his whole career, and chips in some offense, with 11 goals and 32 points in 61 games this season. He's just a smart, steady player who will lend the Red Wings' blueline much-needed dependability in big games down the stretch and ideally into the playoffs, where he has 45 games under his belt.
Importantly for the Red Wings, Faulk is signed through next season with a reasonable $6.5 million cap hit, which will give fellow right-shot defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka the runway he needs to develop into a reliable top-four option himself.
Buchelnikov, 22, was one of Detroit's top-ranked forward prospects, a second-round pick in 2022 who has 13 goals and 23 points in 38 games in the KHL this season. He's a diminutive winger who's been one of the top young scorers in the Russian leagues.
Holl is in the final year of his three-year, $10.2 million contract with Detroit and has spent the bulk of this season in AHL Grand Rapids. He appeared in 111 games for the Red Wings over the past two seasons, but was phased out of the lineup due to poor play.
The third-round pick going to the Blues via the Sharks was acquired by the Red Wings on Friday from the Penguins in exchange for Elmer Soderblom.