The Detroit Red Wings have acquired defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a first round pick, a third round pick, Dmitri Buchelnikov and Justin Holl, per Darren Dreger. Faulk, a 2010 second round pick, has 32 points in 61 games with the Blues this season.
Faulk is Steve Yzerman's first major trade deadline buy during his tenure in Detroit. In a year of extreme trade deadline overpays, securing a defenseman of Faulk's caliber with term while moving out Justin Holl is a major addition. Faulk will slot in on the team's second pairing, helping to ease the burden on rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka while giving the defense a little extra bite.
This trade for Faulk follows Detroit's earlier trade of Elmer Soderblom to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
How Faulk helps the Red Wings
Justin Faulk's 11 goals lead all Red Wings defensemen in scoring this season. Additionally, Faulk has nine power play points this season. His scoring acumen should bolster both Detroit's even-strength scoring as well as the team's power play, which has stalled out over the last few games.
Additionally, Faulk plays an average of 22:40 per game. His ability as a key minute-muncher will alleviate the burden shouldered by the rest of the defense, giving the Red Wings a fresher, more flexible lineup as they push for the playoffs.
Faulk has one year left on his contract making $6.5M per season. He'll play alongside Ben Chiarot on the second pairing, giving the Red Wings some significant depth on the right side. From Moritz Seider to Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Detroit now has a legitimate offensive threat on defense with every single pairing. Faulk is the archetypical player the Red Wings can help Sandin-Pellikka mold his game after. Faulk's ability on offense, coupled with his defensive acumen, will help ASP slowly adjust to the rigor of the NHL season.
Faulk, like former Blues teammate David Perron, both come to the Red Wings with thousands of games played and plenty of playoff experience to impart on their teammates.
While the trade deadline came to an end around 3:00 p.m. EST, deadline moves are still being processed. After all, it took nearly 40 minutes for the Anthony Mantha trade to be processed all those years ago.