Red Wings Enjoying Justin Faulk’s Immediate Impact

Defenseman Justin Faulk of the Detroit Red Wings is projected to have quite the season for Detroit.

This is based upon facts. Most recently, the blueliner earned his coveted 500th NHL point on Oct. 6 against the Ottawa Senators and prior to the Red Wings taking on the Seattle Kraken on the evening of Oct. 9. Faulk's impact on the Detroit franchise and his 500th career point come after he was traded to the Red Wings by the St. Louis Blues on March 6, 2026.

Faulk joining the 500 club occurred after he posted one goal and one assist against Ottawa.

Goal, assist & career point 5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ pic.twitter.com/eUNusNNgcx
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 7, 2026

Faulk's efforts also represents a bright light for Detroit as drama continues to surround the franchise. Now-former captain Dylan Larkin has finally returned to the lineup following a heavily-publicized trade request and an upper-body injury.

The Red Wings are additionally still in the midst of an ongoing General Manager hunt following the leadership transition with Steve Yzerman. Shawn Horcoff is currently serving as interim GM.

Justin Faulk Serves as Early Season Highlight for Red Wings

Back to Faulk — his 500 points come across 147 goals and 353 assists through 1,061 games played.

Standing at 6'0" and weighing 209 pounds, Faulk — who wears No. 72 — is considered more of a detail-oriented blueliner in the League who prioritizes reliability in his own zone. The defenseman is also creative offensively, especially on the power play.

He was originally drafted at No. 37 overall in the 2010 NHL Draft.

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Justin Faulk Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As previously referenced, Faulk and the Red Wings are gearing up to host the Kraken at Little Caesars Arena; puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m. Eastern on Oct. 9..

Detroit is coming off their first win of the year against the Senators. With Larkin returning to the lineup and scoring against Ottawa, Detroit's core is once again led by Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider.

The Kraken also lost 4-2 in last season's game at Little Caesars Arena, only managing to post 11 shots in the final two periods combined. Seattle holds a 2-2-0 record, compared to Detroit at 1-2-0.

Projected lineups are as follows, courtesy of NHL.com.

Red Wings Projected Lineup

Viktor Arvidsson -- Dylan Larkin -- Lucas Raymond

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard -- Emmitt Finnie -- Alex DeBrincat

Michael Rasmussen -- Andrew Copp -- Keegan Kolesar

Nate Danielson -- Carter Mazur

Albert Johansson -- Moritz Seider

Anton Johansson -- Ben Chiarot

William Wallinder -- Justin Faulk

Axel Sandin-Pellikka

John Gibson

Daniil Tarasov

Scratched: Andreas Englund, Jacob Bernard-Docker

Injured: Marco Kasper (upper body), J.T. Compher (undisclosed), Mason Appleton (undisclosed)

Kraken Projected Lineup

Jared McCann -- Matty Beniers – Mackie Samoskevich

Bobby McMann -- Chandler Stephenson -- Jordan Eberle

Kaapo Kakko -- Berkly Catton -- Shane Wright

Ben Meyers -- Frederick Gaudreau – Ryan Winterton

Vince Dunn -- Adam Larsson

Ryker Evans -- Brandon Montour

Josh Mahura -- Cale Fleury

Joey Daccord

Philipp Grubauer

Scratched: Ville Ottavainen, Curtis Douglas

Injured: Jacob Melanson (upper body), Ryan Lindgren (upper body)

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