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The Detroit Red Wings are going through a bit of a rough patch at this time. Detroit has two ongoing trade requests on the table: Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson. Larkin recently expanded his trade list, while there isn’t a ton known about Edvinsson at this time.
The Red Wings are also struggling at the start of the 2026-27 campaign. Detroit is last place in one of the strongest divisions in all of hockey. They have gutted out some games to earn a few overtime-loss points. Still, the Red Wings are last in the Atlantic. It does not appear as if this team is going to make a ton of strides this season.
A lot of people in the hockey world are wondering what will happen with Larkin and Edvinsson. However, there is another player popping up in trade conversations. The Athletic put together a list of potential trade candidates from all 32 teams. They named defenseman Justin Faulk as one to watch for Detroit.
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“The Red Wings are at the bottom of a loaded Atlantic Division, they have two young righties ready to play in Axel Sandin-Pellikka and camp surprise Anton Johansson, and Faulk is a pending UFA. It’s not under the radar in Detroit, but he’s a name to watch this season,” Red Wings beat writer Max Bultman said of Faulk.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at two potential destinations for the veteran defenseman early in the 2026-27 NHL season.
Bruins still need defensive upgrades
The Boston Bruins made some big moves in the offseason to bolster their defensive core. Boston traded for Will Borgen in a trade with the New York Rangers in July. They also re-signed Connor Clifton in NHL Free Agency after he spent a bit of time elsewhere.
Despite the moves made, Boston is still leaking shots against. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman has faced the third-most shots against in the league, according to HockeyStats.com. He is also third in shot attempts faced, as well.
Swayman was a big reason the Bruins made the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. He wasn’t elite, by any means. But he stood on his head when the Bruins needed him to. It appears he’s doing it again early in 2026-27.
The Bruins are asking a lot of Swayman to continue facing high shot volumes. Boston has to find ways to limit the pressure he faces. Faulk can block shots, is solid defensively, and has an offensive touch as well. The Red Wings and Bruins have some recent trade history. He could be a big addition to this Bruins blueline.
Ducks could stand to swing Justin Faulk trade with Red Wings
The Anaheim Ducks had a chaotic offseason, and their defense saw the most upheaval. In fact, their blueline this season is almost the complete opposite of what it was last year. The Ducks made the playoffs with a good mix of veteran talent and exciting young stars. This year, they have just one defenseman (Nick Jensen) older than 27.
So far, this young defense has done a decent job limiting shot attempts. Starting goaltender Lukas Dostal has faced the seventh-most shot attempts this year, but only the 15th-most shots on goal. Still, the Ducks could do more. They also could do with another veteran presence on the blueline.
This is a rough one for the Red Wings, though. Anaheim doesn’t have the cap space to truly make this work. These teams would need to get creative to make something happen. If they can agree to terms, though, Faulk would be an asset for the Ducks.
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Related: Expanded Dylan Larkin trade list provides Red Wings’ Shawn Horcoff his biggest challenge