The newly-acquired Justin Faulk is expected to make his Red Wings debut on Sunday evening against the Devils.
As part of their 2026 NHL Trade Deadline acquisitions, the Detroit Red Wings picked up veteran defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues.
Faulk, who crossed the 1,000 career games played threshold this season, was acquired by Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman in exchange for Justin Holl, a first- and third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and forward prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov.
While he wasn't able to play in Detroit's 3-1 setback on Friday evening against the Florida Panthers, they expect him to be slotted into the lineup for Sunday evening's tilt against the New Jersey Devils.
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Following practice in Detroit on Saturday before they departed for New Jersey, head coach Todd McLellan said that while they anticipate Faulk suiting up, they'll observe how he acclimates to his new teammates.
“We're going to put him in and play him, and we'll have to observe just how comfortable he'll be in playing with certain partners," McLellan said. "We may think, ‘He'll fit really good with Ben Chiarot,’ and that is the plan a little bit to put him there, and get your four guys rolling out,” McLellan said of Justin Faulk.
“But we have to observe and pay attention to who he is playing well with, and see how it goes with his partner.”
Right now, no decision has been made as to which defenseman will slot out of the lineup for Faulk.
Detroit hopes Faulk’s presence will help stabilize their increasingly precarious position in the standings. Just a week ago, the Red Wings held second place in the Atlantic Division, but after two straight losses combined with wins by their division rivals, they now occupy the first Wild Card spot.
While Faulk is expected to make his Red Wings debut immediately, the same can't be said about David Perron, who was re-acquired on Thursday evening from the Ottawa Senators.
Perron, who played for the Red Wings from 2022 through 2024, underwent sports hernia surgery in January and isn't expected to be available to play for at least the next two weeks.
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