DETROIT – If the Detroit Red Wings couldn’t land a proven center to improve their offense, the best way to deal with the problem is to significantly upgrade their defense.

The Red Wings accomplished that before NHL trade deadline ended by giving up a first-round pick, a third rounder, prospect Dimitri Buchelnikov, to the St. Louis Blues for right-shot defenseman Justin Faulk, a player with 1,041 NHL games on his resume. From the beginning, he seemed like a perfect fit for the Red Wings.

“We’ll see how this thing shakes out, but acquiring a guy that’s played in the top four, played in all situations. . . it solidifies our D corps a little bit,” Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman said.

Faulk is a respected defensive player, and he owns enough skill to contribute offensively. He has 11 goals this season.

Faulk is Top Four D Man

Coach Todd McLellan will ultimately decide who plays where, but presumably Faulk will slot into the second pairing to play with Ben Chiarot. That puts rookie Axel Sandin Pellikka in limbo for playing time. The Red Wings are pleased with his development, but his lack of experience could be liability in the stretch run.

The Red Wings have made him eligible for the AHL playoffs just in case they believe his development is better served down there.

“I’ll sit down with Todd here over the next day to see what his plan is for a D corps, and we’ll see how this all plays out,” Yzerman said.

The Red Wings are pleased with their defense depth, but what they don’t want is having Sandin-Pellikka watching games in Detroit. That’s why Grand Rapids is an option for ASP.

“I’m not sure what Todd will do with the lineup,” Yzerman said. “Performance will decide that.”

Looked at Forwards

Yzerman looked for a forward, preferably a center, but nothing materialized. The asking price was high, and in some cases the Red Wings didn’t have what the seller wanted. Some big names — Robert Thomas, Elias Pettersson and Vince Trocheck for example — were available. None of those players moved.

“Were we ultimately close on other things up front, on the forwards, probably not,” Yzerman said. “We knew that going back a few days that were probably not going to get any of the big names out there.”

The decision to trade Elmer Soderblom to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third-round pick was influenced by the Faulk deal. That gave Detroit a third rounder to give the Blues in that trade.

Soderblom has been the team’s 13th forward.  “With the addition of David Perron and players within our own system, we can fill that role from within,” Yzerman said.