It's done. Per the reports, Detroit acquires defenseman Justin Faulk from the Blues. The cost is steep: Justin Holl, prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2026 third. So yes, Yzerman gave up a first to add a veteran right-shot D. Reading the room here, this is a buy. Stevie said the goal was a better chance to make the playoffs, and he just put his money where his mouth is. We'll see if the price was worth it. Initial gut: Faulk stabilizes the right side, but that first hurts in a draft we don't otherwise have one in.
Quick cap read on Faulk:
- right-shot top-four, exactly the profile they've lacked
- the first is the headline cost, but it landed at 15th after the lottery, so we're not handing them a top-five pick
- Holl was a buyout candidate anyway, getting a body off the sheet there is fine
Verdict: defensible. Not a heist, not a disaster. They paid a buyer's premium and a buyer's premium is what it costs to buy.
we traded a 1st to chase the 8 seed. 10 years and counting. cant wait to be eliminated anyway.
Disagree with the doom take. The plan was always going to flip from accumulation to addition at some point. This is the point. You don't rebuild forever just to protect a pick. Faulk is a real player, the right side needed help, and Stevie clearly thinks this group earned a push. Trust it.
Losing Buchelnikov stings a little more than people are saying. He had real skill. Not a top prospect anymore but the kind of swing you'd rather keep when your cupboard's already light up front. The first is the bigger loss obviously, just don't sleep on the prospect piece.
Faulk next to Mo on the right could let one of them slide into easier matchups. Or pair Mo with Edvinsson and let Faulk anchor the second pair. Either way you've got actual right-shot depth for once.
back in my day you didnt mortgage the future for a 6 seed you never made anyway. but sure. add the 35 year old.
Worth separating two questions. 1) Is Faulk a useful player? Yes, right-shot top-four, that need was real. 2) Was the price efficient relative to the win bump? Less clear. A first plus a third plus a prospect for a rental-ish veteran on a non-contender is a lot of future value for a marginal playoff-odds increase. I get the intent. I'd have wanted a softer price.
I'm fine with it. You can't keep telling the fanbase to be patient and then refuse to ever step on the gas. The standard in this town is competing, not collecting picks for a decade. Faulk's a pro. Welcome to Hockeytown, kid.
RIGHT SHOT D LETS GO. faulk seider edvinsson back there?? im picking us in four every series. LGRW
Where I land after a day of this: the player's good, the need was genuine, the price was high. Both sides of this thread are right at the same time. If Larkin and the core stay healthy and they actually make it, nobody remembers the third. If they fade anyway, the first is the thing that gets quoted back at Yzerman. Fair trade with real risk.