The Minnesota Wild have announced that they have signed Brock Faber to an eight-year extension worth an average annual value of $8.5 million. The massive extension will kick in next offseason after his entry-level contract expires.
Faber finished the 2023-24 season with 47 points in 82 games, was the number one defenseman on the Wild, and finished second in voting for the Calder Trophy for the NHL’s best rookie.
Faber is Already Elite
With just 84 NHL games under his belt, handing out a $68 million contract is a risk, but certainly one that has a very good chance of paying off. Not only was Faber one of the top rookies in the league, but he was among the top defensemen. He didn’t receive any votes for the Norris Trophy, but he was incredibly important to the Wild as their top defender.
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Faber finished the season averaging just shy of 25 minutes per game, which ranks sixth in the entire league. He also finished 22nd in scoring among defensemen with his 47 points. Not only was he a minute-eating rookie with offensive upside, but he played a strong defensive game, including his 150 blocked shots, which ranked 50th in the league. He wasn’t very physical, landing just 65 registered hits, but as he continues to develop, his 6-foot-1 frame could allow him to play a more physical game.
The Wild have clearly identified Faber as their top defenseman, and moving forward they will be happy to have him there and build around him. Faber was acquired by the Wild in a trade that sent Kevin Fiala to the LA Kings, and since then, Faber’s development has been fantastic.
Faber took over many single-season franchise records from a rookie, including the longest point streak by a rookie defenseman (six games), the most assists, blocks, and ice time by any Wild rookie, and second in points by a rookie in franchise history, trailing just Kirill Kaprizov‘s 51 points.
There is no doubt that Faber is going to be a star defenseman if he can keep up this kind of play, and while giving out this big of a contract certainly comes with risk, from what he has shown already, there is no reason to have any doubt that this deal will pay off for the Wild in the end.
With buyout penalties from Zach Parise and Ryan Suter being against the Wild’s cap for the next three seasons, 2024-25 is the last year of a significant cap hit, with the final two years being $1.66 million against the cap combined. Having most of that money gone as the Faber extension kicks in lines up very well for the Wild, and it will give them space to make other additions to the roster or sign other young players to extensions such as Marco Rossi and Jesper Wallstedt who will need an extension at that time.
