How Wild Fatheads Played Role in Brock Faber Extension

Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber secured his future in Saint Paul on Monday by signing an eight–year, $68 million contract extension with the club.

Offering a contract of this length and value signals that Wild general manager Bill Guerin is placing his full trust in the 21-year-old to be a central piece of a younger Wild core, headlined by Faber and forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy.

Receiving a deal worth $8.5 million per year throughout the entirety of your twenties seems a no-brainer to agree to, but holds even more significance considering Faber’s long-time fondness for the organization.

Brock Faber’s Minnesota Wild jerseys, posters and fatheads

The Maple Grove, Minnesota, native and former Minnesota Golden Gopher has been a Wild fan for as long as he can remember.

“Wild jerseys, posters, fat heads, all over … I might’ve had Wild sheets at one point when I was growing up … I’m a Minnesota kid born and raised. It’s always been a dream of mine to wear the sweater and play for this team,” Faber recalled in his first press conference since signing the deal.

Faber is coming off an electric rookie season. He played all 82 games and accrued 47 points with 150 blocked shots, taking care of business at both ends of the rink. He finished tied for second among all rookies in scoring, 14 points behind Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, who edged Faber for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.

Wild coach John Hynes lauded Faber’s consistency from game-to-game, an aspect sorely needed as injuries plagued their blue line last season.

Faber covered for plethora of Wild blueline injuries in 2023-24

Jared Spurgeon, Minnesota’s long-time banner defenseman, only played in 16 games due to hip and back injuries. Jonas Brodin, who played alongside Faber on the first defensive pairing, also missed 20 games in the 2023-24 season. As a result, Faber averaged 24:58 in ice time, most among NHL rookies and highest on the Wild.

Through it all, Faber stood firm. His elite puck protection and passing skills speak for themselves, but his retrieval and breakout ability in the defensive zone is even more impressive. It’s what earned him 42 first-place votes for the Calder Trophy, an award he likely would have won if Bedard didn’t enter the League at the same time.

Related: Report: Kirill Kaprizov Contract Extension Will Cost Wild a Record-Breaking Amount of Cash

Faber’s reliability led to the Wild being one of the best defensive teams in the League. Minnesota boasted 147.92 xGA in 5-on-5 play last season, good for the third best in the league behind the Carolina Hurricanes and Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers.

Those are playoff-caliber defensive numbers, and the Stanley Cup Playoffs are certainly on the mind of Faber. “Missing playoffs, that’s humbling. You have to do something different to take that next step as a team,” he said.

Too early for such a huge deal?

Detractors of the deal may argue that Guerin offered Faber too much term and capital after only one year of production, but the Wild GM feels confident in his decision.

“You have to do a lot of work and make sure you know who you’re identifying as your foundation guys … He showed that he’s mature enough to handle it. He’s shown that he’s going to keep getting better. It’s worth the bet. It’s worth the risk,” Guerin said.

Related: Rangers playbook copied by Wild in Brock Faber deal

Minnesota is excited about holding on to Faber and watching him develop into one of the most complete defensive players in the NHL, just as Faber is excited to get the chance to become a leader on his hometown team.

More must-reads:

• Wild Lock Up Brock Faber With Maximum 8-Year Contract Extension
• Experts Believe Minnesota Wild Got Steal of NHL Draft
• Marco Rossi, Brock Faber Both Get NHL All-Rookie Honors