The prognosis on Brock Faber’s injury is mixed, at best.
While the hope is that the Minnesota Wild defenseman will make a speedy recovery after sustaining a fractured skull in preseason play, there is a concern about a potential career-ending situation.
That’s the opinion that a notable medical expert has put forth.
Renowned physician Dr. Harjas Grewal expressed his concern about a potentially career-ending injury for Faber, considering precedents pertaining to head injuries.
Now, it may seem like an extreme case, given how Brock Faber reacted following the play. He stayed in the game, but left out of precautionary measures. Well, the precautions were justified. There is now, however, no firm timeline on Faber’s potential return, raising serious questions about the 24-year-old’s future with the club.
The former second-round pick is entering this fourth full season. He’s got over 240 NHL games under his belt, registering 33 goals and 127 points in that span. Last year, the Wild defenseman put up his best numbers, scoring 15 goals and 51 points in 80 games.
He’s currently in the second year of an eight-year contract worth $68 million.
Brock Faber Could Follow John Carlson’s Path Back
If there is an encouraging precedent for Brock Faber, it may be John Carlson.
The Washington Capitals defenseman suffered a fractured skull and a lacerated temporal artery after being struck in the head by a slap shot in December 2022. The injury was frightening enough that Carlson missed 36 games and spent roughly three months recovering.
But Carlson returned.
He was cleared for contact after working his way back into practice and ultimately played again on March 23, 2023, almost exactly three months after the injury.
That is naturally no guarantee of what happens with Faber.
Every injury is different, and Faber required surgery after being struck near his left ear by the puck. Still, Carlson’s recovery demonstrates why it would be premature to suggest that a fractured skull automatically means the end of an NHL career.
Brock Faber’s own actions immediately after the injury were somewhat encouraging as well. He was able to get off the ice under his own power, returned for another shift and finished the second period before the Wild held him out of the third.
The fact that he initially appeared capable of continuing does not make the injury less serious.
It simply reinforces how little we know about the eventual recovery timeline.
For now, the most reasonable conclusion is that Faber faces a significant recovery rather than that his career is necessarily in jeopardy.
Wild Blueliner Could Still Miss a Significant Part of the Season
Even if the worst-case scenario never materializes, the Wild could still be without one of their most important players for a considerable amount of time.
That may ultimately be the more immediate concern.
Brock Faber is coming off his best NHL season, averaging more than 24 minutes per night. He was also expected to form Minnesota’s top defensive pairing alongside Quinn Hughes, giving the Wild one of the league’s most intriguing young defensive combinations.
Now, there is no timetable for when that pairing will actually see the ice.
Carlson’s recovery provides a useful reference point here. He missed three months despite ultimately returning to become an important player for Washington again.
A similar timeline for Faber would mean missing a substantial portion of the opening months of Minnesota’s season.
And that could be a major problem for the Wild.
Minnesota reached the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season and entered this year expecting to take another step forward. Brock Faber is a huge part of that equation.
The good news is that Guerin has emphasized that Faber is doing well and that the organization is prioritizing his recovery over hockey.
That’s exactly how it should be.
The hockey questions can wait.
Eventually, the Wild will need to figure out how to replace Faber’s minutes and production. For now, though, the biggest question is simply how long it will take one of Minnesota’s most important young players to recover.
Brock Faber Injury Could Be Career-Threatening, Expert Says