ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin saw more than enough potential in Brock Faber’s rookie season to sign the defenseman to an eight-year, $68 million contract extension on Monday.
The deal does not take effect until the 2025-26 season, after Faber’s rookie contract expires. This came after the 21-year-old finished second to Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard in the Calder Trophy voting for the league’s rookie of the year award.
“He showed that he is mature enough to deal with it. He showed that he will continue to improve,” said Guerin. “Yes, it’s worth the risk.”
Faber is one of only four Wild players in history to make the NHL All-Rookie team, behind Jonas Brodin (2013), Kirill Kaprizov (2021) and Marco Rossi (also 2024).
From Maple Grove, Minn., Faber led all rookies and ranked sixth among NHL skaters averaging 24 minutes, 58 seconds of ice time per game last season. Faber’s total ice time (2,047:53) was the most by an NHL rookie since 2000-01. He also finished tied for second among rookies with 47 points in 82 games, and his 39 assists were a franchise rookie record.
Faber is one of the young building blocks of a team that already expects to have more salary cap space to sign players once the bulk of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s buyout contracts come off the Wild’s books next summer.
Parise and Suter combine to count $14.73 million against Minnesota’s salary cap this season after having their contracts terminated in 2021. That drops to $1.67 million in each of the following three seasons.
Faber was selected by Los Angeles in the second round of the 2020 draft. Two years later, the Kings traded Faber and 2022 first-round pick Liam Ohgren to Minnesota to acquire forward Kevin Fiala.
Faber’s contract extension through the 2032-33 season comes three weeks after the Wild signed Jake Middleton to a four-year, $17.4 million extension that will also take effect after this season.
Faber, who played for the University of Minnesota, grew up a huge Wild fan, with his room decorated with all kinds of memorabilia.
“I’m a Minnesota kid, born and raised,” Faber said, “and it’s always been a dream of mine to be able to wear this sweater and play for this team.”
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