The Minnesota Wild kept Brock Faber’s heart-warming story going by signing him to an eight-year contract extension. The Maple Grove, Minnesota, native played two seasons with the United States National Team Development Program from 2018 to 2020 after playing Minnesota minor hockey. He returned to his home state to play with the University of Minnesota and eventually became Captain in his junior season. He also captained the United States in the 2020-21 World Junior tournament.
The Los Angeles Kings drafted Faber with the 45th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. However, they had plenty of depth on the right side of their defense. They orchestrated a trade with the Wild, which sent Faber and the 19th overall selection in the 2022 draft for Kevin Fiala. They used the draft pick to select top prospect Liam Ohgren.
Faber made his Wild debut after his 2022-23 season in the NCAA finished, playing two games at the end of the regular season. He also appeared in six playoff games for his home team.
Many expected Faber to play well for the Wild in his rookie season, but they didn’t think he’d have the effect he ended up having. Faber tallied eight goals and 39 assists for the Wild, averaging 18 minutes of even-strength ice time per game. He also impacted their powerplay and penalty kill, chipping in 16 points with the man advantage.
The story of Faber coming home to play for the Wild is great and it had a compelling opening chapter with his rookie season performance. However, the eight-year contract extension worth $8.5 million annually could be premature.
No hometown discount for Brock Faber
The usual plan of attack for young defensemen is to sign them to bridge deals before losing their restricted free agency and then locking them down long-term when that one expires. However, the Wild think they’ve seen enough from Faber this past season to give him a massive deal.
Faber likely has no interest in leaving Minnesota, so it’s surprising that he didn’t take more of a hometown discount. If general manager Bill Guerin was willing to sign Faber for $8.5 million annually, the young star had no choice but to take the deal.
Faber will be 30 when this contract extension ends and eligible to explore the market and sign elsewhere. There’s a great chance that Faber will want to be a lifelong member of the Wild, which makes Bill Guerin’s decision to give him the bag for his first extension even more surprising.
Wild fans need to weather the sophomore slump
It’s a phenomenon in sports that players with breakout rookie seasons come back down to earth in their second year. The Faber contract sets the defender up for criticism if his second season begins in a slump. The deal won’t start until the 2025-26 season, which could make it look like a tremendous overpayment if Fabers struggles in the final year of his entry-level deal.
Guerin could have easily waited to negotiate this deal next offseason, as Faber probably wouldn’t have played himself above this value. If anything, Faber may have regressed and drove his value down.
It doesn’t feel like there’s any way that Guerin wins in this situation. Faber will be the 13th-highest-paid defenseman when this deal kicks in, behind players like Cale Makar, Charlie McAvoy, and Adam Fox. He will also have two years where he is making more than 2024 Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes.
Will Faber reach a level in his sophomore season where he contends for a Norris Trophy? It’s possible. However, he still should be a tier below Makar, Fox, and Hughes for contract value. Guerin should have given Faber a deal below Hughes’ contract annually which took him to his UFA year in 2030. The Wild could have renegotiated when the salary cap is higher and they have some of their dead cap issues in Zach Parise and Ryan Suter off the books.
Wild banking on the rising salary cap
The NHL’s salary cap was supposed to grow exponentially in the 2020s, but the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cap holding steady. It devastated teams that signed extensions for their players during the 2019 season which cratered their salary caps for the early 2020s. It’s time for the salary cap to rise again, which could make Faber’s contract look better in 2-3 years.
If the cap rises a lot, Guerin’s decision to sign Faber through the 2033 season could get him at value at the end of the deal. The young defensemen mentioned earlier will already be making $10+ million with Faber still on his $8.5 million contract. The only question is whether Faber can live up to the hype from his rookie season.
Wild Grade: C
Brock Faber Grade: A-
