Blues trade Justin Faulk to Red Wings for 1st- and 3rd-round picks, prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov

The St. Louis Blues traded defenseman Justin Faulk to Detroit on Friday in exchange for the Red Wings’ 2026 first-round pick, the San Jose Sharks’ 2026 third-round pick, 2022 second-rounder Dmitri Buchelnikov and veteran defenseman Justin Holl.

Faulk, whose contract goes through 2027 with a $6.5 million cap hit, is logging more than 22 minutes per night in his 15th NHL season. He has 11 goals and 32 points in 61 games this season. The 33-year-old was perhaps the top right-shot defenseman available heading into trade deadline day.

The veteran played his 1,000th NHL game earlier this season and has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence.

In the past two seasons combined, Faulk had scored six goals over 138 games. He’s been more active in the offensive zone in 2025-26, doubling that total in less than half the games.

Faulk has played in the Blues’ second pair, spending time with both Philip Broberg and Cam Fowler. He’s second on the team in ice time at 22:30, including 2:09 on the power play, running the point on the No. 1 unit.

But he no longer fit the plan for the Blues’ retool, and with one more season left on his $45.5 million contract, the team wanted to capitalize on his individual success this season.

Holl, a 34-year-old veteran of 396 NHL games, has spent the season with the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids. The fit just never seemed to work in Detroit, and while he was a good piece for a Griffins team that spent most of the season threatening AHL records, a better chance at the NHL would seem to do right by the veteran.

Buchelnikov has had success in the KHL and is skilled, but could end up a 4-A type in the NHL, depending on how he translates.

What it means for the Red Wings

The Red Wings badly needed a top-four defenseman on the right side, and they got it at the last minute in Faulk, who will help them in a multitude of ways.

Faulk fortifies the second pair next to Ben Chiarot, bringing a puck-moving element without sacrificing defensive responsibility. He will add offense from the back end — his 32 points would rank seventh among all Red Wings skaters and second among Detroit defensemen — to a team that needs more offense.

And he gives them more buffer in the event of injury, for a blue line that was leaning heavily on a relatively unproven bottom half of the defense corps.

Factoring in the on-ice profile and the cost, he was probably the best fit on the market for the Red Wings as they try to chase down a playoff spot. — Bultman

What it means for the Blues

A year ago, if someone had told Blues fans that they’d get a high draft pick for Faulk, they wouldn’t have believed it. In fact, many figured the club might have to send a draft pick to another team to take his contract.

So in a tough season overall for the Blues, Faulk’s productive season ends up being a plus, in that they not only get a first-round pick but a third-rounder and a prospect with upside, as well.

At 33, Faulk wasn’t going to be part of the lengthy retool any longer, and now the Blues will usher in Adam Jiricek and other prospects on the blue line. — Rutherford