Minnesota Wild Lock Down Rising Star Brock Faber with Eight-Year, $68 Million Extension

Author:

Alexie Marone

|Published: July 30th, 2024

Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin saw immense potential in Brock Faber's rookie season, leading to a significant contract extension for the young defenseman.

On Monday, the Wild announced an eight-year, $68 million extension for Faber, set to begin in the 2025-26 season once his rookie contract expires.

The 21-year-old defenseman from Maple Grove, Minnesota, impressed in his debut season, finishing second in the Calder Trophy voting for Rookie of the Year, just behind Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard.

Faber led all rookies and ranked sixth among NHL skaters with an average ice time of 24 minutes and 58 seconds per game last season.

His total ice time of 2,047:53 was the highest for an NHL rookie since the 2000-01 season.

Faber also tied for second among rookies with 47 points, scoring eight goals and providing 39 assists over 82 games.

Faber is seen as a cornerstone for the Wild, who are planning for more salary cap flexibility once the majority of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter's bought-out contracts come off the books next summer.

Currently, Parise and Suter's buyouts count $14.73 million against Minnesota's salary cap.

This figure drops to $1.67 million annually over the following three seasons.

Originally selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round of the 2020 draft, Faber was traded to the Wild in 2022, along with a first-round pick, in exchange for forward Kevin Fiala.

Faber's contract extension follows a four-year, $17.4 million extension for Jake Middleton, which will also begin after this season.