The Detroit Red Wings were apparently searching for a right-shot defenceman as they make their march to the postseason, and they did exactly that as they acquired blue liner Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues for defenceman Justin Holl, a first-round pick, and a third-round pick, per Darren Dreger.

Faulk has 11 goals and 32 points in 61 games for the Blues this season. He turns 34 years old in a couple of weeks and has one more year left on his deal with a $6.5-million cap hit, per PuckPedia.

Let's break it down.

What Detroit Gets

When Faulk was in his prime – the last few years in Carolina and the first few years in St. Louis – he was a top-pair, shoot-first defenceman who could play in all three phases. That was 5-6 years ago, though. These days, he's best suited for a depth role where he can help drive the offence and kill some penalties.

Faulk won't play a depth role in Detroit, though; he is likely to skate on the second pair and second power-play unit for the Red Wings. Add in a penalty killing role and Faulk probably lands in the 21- to 22-minute range, or not very far off the 22:30 he was earning in St. Louis.  

Going to a playoff team isn't necessarily an upgrade for Faulk. The Red Wings have actually been worse than the Blues when it comes to 5-on-5 goal scoring, and he won't get the same power-play usage in Detroit that he got in St. Louis. Not that the Blues had a good power play, but Faulk could easily lose a minute per game of PPTOI and be stuck on a secondary unit. Add that to going to a team that has been worse offensively at 5-on-5, and this might not be the upgrade it appears to be at first glance.

This isn't good news for the young depth from the Red Wings. Simon Edvinsson is locked in with Moritz Seider on the top pair, so he's fine, but guys like Axel-Sandin Pellikka, Jacob Bernard-Docker, and Albert Johansson just had a big road block thrown in front of them. As long as the team uses Ben Chiarot as a second-pair option – as they have been all season – then all those young guys are now locked into bottom-pair roles for the rest of the year.

In St. Louis, this trade gives Logan Mailloux a chance not only to stay in the lineup every night but move up the lineup. The Blues still have Colton Parayko, Philip Broberg, and Cam Fowler, but there's a clear path to second-pair, second power-play minutes that didn't exist 12 hours ago. The Blues have been improving offensively after a dismal start, so it'll be interesting to see if Mailloux can start taking steps forward. It also gives Matthew Kessel a chance at a regular spot in the lineup for the rest of the season as he tries to earn a full-time spot next season.

Who This Helps

Logan Mailloux

Matthew Kessel

Who This Hurts

Axel Sandin-PellikkaJacob Bernard-Docker