March 10, 2026, 3:14 p.m. ET
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – The Detroit Red Wings’ decision to trade multiple assets for Justin Faulk was reinforced right away, as he made an immediate impact.
He also gave them some leeway with regards to rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka.
The Wings (36-21-7 entering Tuesday) are in a tight battle for playoff positioning, and Faulk projects to help in that respect. Following his arrival on Sunday, March 8, two days after being acquired via trade, he slid right onto the second pairing and showed how much of a difference it makes to have a trust-worthy veteran on the right side of that duo.
“Justin knows who he is as a player,” coach Todd McLellan said after the Wings’ morning skate Tuesday. “He’s played a long time. He knows what he can get away with both offensively and defensively. He’s got some physical assets with and without the puck. He can defend well because he’s heavy and strong. Offensively, he’s got a real good shot, and he’s willing to use it.Â
Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
“He just knows who he is when he puts the equipment on, and that’s calming for everybody else.”
For Faulk, 33, his arrival from the St. Louis Blues (for a 2026 first-round pick and a prospect from the 2022 draft, among other assets) means a chance to make the playoffs with a group hyper-focused on that task.
“It’s just the way they carry themselves, the chatter in the locker room,” Faulk said. “.You can kind of sense the presence of they know where we’re at and what’s on the line here. There’s a lot of young guys without much playoff experience, but you can tell they’re chomping at the bit to get in there and play in those games. The older guys that have had it and been successful, they know what’s at stake, too. Â The energy’s up and the guys are ready to go.”
Faulk was on the road with the Blues when the trade came down, which he said made the deal easier to break to his kids.
“They’ll be about 5, 3 and 6 months,” he said. “They were just trying to ask me if the Blues were the bad team. And I said yes, now they are and we’re cheering for the Red Wings. My middle child couldn’t quite figure that out, but then my older one, she got on board pretty quick. So we’re good to go.”
Faulk is playing in the spot Sandin-Pellikka had manned most of the season, but at 20 years old and in his first season of North American hockey, the Swedish defender struggled, and the coaching staff didn’t trust him late in close games. He has been scratched since Faulk’s arrival, and was on the ice Tuesday morning long after those tabbed to be in the lineup in the evening against the Florida Panthers had left.
McLellan called Sandin-Pellikka “an important part of our team. He’s got us to this point. We’ll work with him on the days when he’s not in the lineup, and he’s an option each and every day.”
The Wings seem gearing towards a defense corps featuring pairings of Moritz Seider with Simon Edvinsson, Faulk with Ben Chiarot, and Jacob Bernard-Docker with Albert Johansson. Putting Faulk with Chiarot gives the Wings a solid option to take some of the pressure off the top pairing.
“They both have some heaviness to them, some size,” McLellan said of the Faulk-Chiarot duo. “They’re willing to play physical. So there’s a lot to like there right now. We’re going to watch and figure out what the chemistry portion of it looks like.”
If Sandin-Pellikka doesn’t crack the lineup during the two games that’s left on the trip, he likely will be assigned to the minors, as the best thing for him is to play games.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.
Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.Â