Wild Rookie Expected to Sign Historic Contract Extension

Getty Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber

The Minnesota Wild don’t have the former 2023 NHL Draft first-overall pick on their roster but they surely have the next-best rookie in the league in defenseman Brock Faber.

Faber, however, might not play for the Wild on a bargain, rookie-level deal for much longer considering the reports that emerged on Thursday, March 29, discussing an upcoming extension.

According to Michael Russo and Shayna Goldman of The Athletic, “(Wild GM) Bill Guerin is not only planning to sign Brock Faber to a long-term extension this offseason but also anticipating paying him on par with other young defensemen who have gotten monster second contracts over the past few years.”

Faber is currently earning less than $1 million per year as he’s still playing in the second year of his entry-level contract, one he initially signed on April 9, 2023, according to data gathered by PuckPedia.

Brian Bartlett, who represents Faber, is quoted in the story revealing what he expects to happen with his client as soon as this summer. “We’ll be happy to hear from the Wild this summer, and we expect that we will,” Bartlett said.

Faber Could Approach the Contract Signed by Cale Makar

The Wild acquired Faber from the Los Angeles Kings in the summer of 2022 as part of a trade headlined by Kevin Fiala.

The rookie (still eligible for the Calder Trophy award as he only appeared in two games last season) has quickly developed into an essential player for the Wild and a surefire thing to become a bonafide top-tier NHL defenseman.

His performance on the ice, notably his endless stamina, offensive evolution, and ability to play major minutes, has exceeded expectations and significantly increased his market value.

PuckPediaBrock Faber Profile on PuckPedia

So far this season, Faber has played all 72 games scoring 7 goals and assisting 33 for a total of 40 points. He’s averaging 0.56 points per game and has a positive 51.7 goals-for percentage.

Bartlett, who also represented Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, already got his client to sign a monster second contract with the Avs worth $54 million over six years for a $9 AAV.

“[Makar’s] is a number Faber can realistically push for,” wrote The Athletic. “There are other examples of young defensemen in that range beyond Makar, from Aaron Ekblad and Quinn Hughes in the high $7 million range to Adam Fox and Zach Werenski around $9.5 million.”

The salary cap, as the authors point out, is “expected to rise to $87.7 million next season and potentially $92 million the following season.” That, in turn, would give the Wild some room to allocate Faber’s new contract into their cap room as the percentage it’d take in the future would go down steadily each passing year.

Faber Set to Get One of the Biggest Deals by a Young Defenseman

Stylistically, Faber is considered “a shutdown defenseman” without honed offensive chops. That said, he’s been reasonably good since the Wild moved him to the power-play unit where he’s logged 176:55 minutes scoring 2 goals and 9 assists this season, per NaturalStatTrick.

The authors compare Faber to Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and Dallas Stars‘ defender Miro Heiskanen, who also signed bulky deals of late. McAvoy inked a $9.5 AAV contract for eight years and Heiskanen got one quoted at an $8.45 AAV for eight seasons.

“Faber’s winning the Calder wouldn’t exactly help Guerin’s negotiating leverage when the 21 year old is eligible for a contract extension July 1,” the authors wrote, “but Guerin sees just how special a talent Faber is and knows he’s going to have to ante up to sign him for the maximum eight years starting in 2025–26.”

According to The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn, per the report linked above, Faber has “a projected market value of about $11 million over the next eight seasons.” That, while prorated to a full contract, would see Faber ink a mammoth $88 million deal.

While that type of deal is unheard of and won’t (most probably) materialize, it’s fair to assume Faber’s deal could surpass previous records set within the Wild franchise and approach those of other young and promising defensemen.