Faulk traded to Red Wings by Blues for Holl, 2026 Draft picks

Justin Faulk was traded to the Detroit Red Wings by the St. Louis Blues on Friday for Justin Holl, a first- and third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and forward prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov.

The 33-year-old defenseman had 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 61 games for the Blues this season. 

Faulk is in the sixth season of a seven-year, $45.5 million contract ($6.5 million average annual value) he signed with St. Louis on Sept. 24, 2019, and can become an unrestricted free agent after next season. 

Selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round (No. 37) of the 2010 NHL Draft, Faulk has 490 points (141 goals, 349 assists) in 1,041 regular-season games for the Hurricanes and Blues and 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) in 45 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

The Red Wings (35-20-7) are third in the Atlantic Division, three points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres, and pushing for their first playoff berth since 2016. They acquired forward David Perron from the Ottawa Senators on Thursday for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Detroit hosts the Florida Panthers on Friday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, SCRIPPS, NHLN, SNE, TVAS).

Holl, a 34-year-old defenseman, had 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) in 41 games for the Red Wings' American Hockey League affiliate in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He signed a three-year, $10.2 million contract with Detroit on July 1, 2023, and has 95 points (13 goals, 82 assists) in 396 NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Red Wings, and three assists in 25 playoff games.

Buchelnikov, a second-round (No. 52) pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, is playing in his native Russia. The 22-year-old has 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists) in 38 games for CSKA of the Kontinental Hockey League.