Blues trade Justin Faulk to the Red Wings at the deadline buzzer

The St. Louis Blues indicated they wanted to sell at the trade deadline. They tried to trade assistant captain Colton Parayko to the Buffalo Sabres, but the defenseman invoked his no-trade clause. But on trade deadline day, the Blues traded away captain Brayden Schenn to the New York Islanders in exchange for a first-round pick, a third-round pick, and a prospect.

Just when it looked like the Blues were done, they made one more deal at the 2:00 p.m. CT deadline. Defenseman Justin Faulk is heading out of St. Louis.

Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reported that a Faulk trade to the Detroit Red Wings was "happening." Sure enough, TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger reported that the Blues were receiving a first-round pick, a third-round pick, and defenseman Justin Holl in return.

Blues trade Justin Faulk to the Red Wings in last minute deal before deadline

Blues fans aren't necessarily surprised that Faulk was traded. He is a right-shot defenseman, which was a highly-coveted position by contending teams at the deadline, who also had one more season left on his contract. The Red Wings have been linked to Faulk in the past couple of months, but they were also exploring the rest of the market. Ultimately, Red Wings General Manager Steve Yzerman gave Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong a call and they finalized this trade.

For the Blues, they are going to be losing out on Faulk, who is having his most productive season since the 2022-23 campaign. In 61 games, Faulk has 11 goals and 21 assists to his credit, while recording a -3 plus/minus ratio, 102 blocked shots, 49 hits, and 20 takeaways.

The Blues receive some much-needed draft capital to help with their rebuild. To make up for the absence of Faulk, they also receive Holl, who had been with the Red Wings' AHL team. In 41 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Holl recorded two goals, 14 assists, and a +19 plus/minus ratio. It's unknown if Holl will receive an immediate call-up with the Blues.

Even though the trade deadline has passed, the work is far from finished for the Blues. Once the offseason begins, they can re-explore their plans to retool. They can float around Robert Thomas, who was considered a top player on the trade board. Ultimately, and understandably, the Blues had a high asking price for him. Maybe a team will be more inclined to make an offer in the summer. Specifically, a landing spot where Thomas would be willing to waive his no-trade clause. They could also see what they can get for goalie Jordan Binnington, who has one more year left on his contract. Of course, there is also re-exploring where they could feasibly trade Parayko if he wants to move.

The retool is far from over. But they took two huge steps in the process by moving on from Schenn and Faulk.