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The Detroit Red Wings had put themselves in a prime position to be buyers at the NHL Trade Deadline this past March for the first time in a decade.
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman did just that, bringing back veteran forward David Perron from the Ottawa Senators, while also acquiring right-handed defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues.
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In return for Faulk, the Red Wing sent defenseman Justin Holl, a 2026 first-round pick, a 2026 third-round pick, and forward prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov back to the Blues.
Faulk fit in nicely with the Red Wings, forming a defensive pair with Ben Chiarot, and scored five goals with three assists in the 16 games he appeared in following the trade.
Unfortunately, the Red Wings were in the early stages of unraveling yet again in March, at the time of Faulk’s acquisition, and they ultimately finished on the outside looking in at the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 10th straight season.
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“Ultimately, there’s a lot of frustration with not getting in,” Faulk said of how things finished for Detroit. “It’s hard, it’s hard to get in the playoffs, and it’s a hard stretch to go through. Mentally, like I said, it’s frustrating right now. It’s something that’s a goal along the way, I think the ultimate goal is to try and win a Stanley Cup.”
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“There’s a lot of processing and steps before that, but you have to get in the playoffs to give yourself a chance,” Faulk continued. “I think we all know in this League that if anyone gets in, there’s a chance. There are upsets every year, teams go on runs. You’ve gotta get your foot in the door, but where we’re sitting, it’s not a great feeling.”
As for his transition to the Red Wings, Faulk had already heard plenty about the organization from players who experienced both sides of what was once a heated Western Conference rivalry. It also helped that his former Blues teammate, David Perron, was back in the fold to make the adjustment smoother.
“Yeah, ultimately, I thought it went pretty well,” Faulk said of the transition to Detroit from St. Louis. “I’ve said this a little bit I think, but I played with David Perron in St. Louis, and I had some other guys that we made a few trades over the years back and forth. We got Nick Leddy, I think (Ville) Husso ended up here, and Oskar Sundqvist and whatnot. So, I’ve known plenty of guys who have had a lot of familiarity with this organization, so nothing was really too unknown to me.”
“Obviously, there’s a lot of getting to know people and feeling it out, but the organization as a whole, those guys have filled me in, and David Perron made life a lot easier for me,” Faulk continued. “Showed me how to get around town, all the little things outside the rink that get unnoticed, and you get into a flow when you’re in a situation for a while.
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The transition was pretty smooth.”
Faulk, who has tallied a total of 146 goals with 352 assists across 1,058 career games played with the Carolina Hurricanes, Blues, and Red Wings, is signed through the end of next season.
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