The Minnesota Wild recently locked in young star defenseman Brock Faber to an eight-year contract extension. Set to start with the 2025-26 season, Faber will make $8.5 million annually with the Wild until 2033.
At only 21 years old, the Wild are just about securing the defenseman’s prime years as they look to build a team that can compete for a Stanley Cup. The Wild knew from the beginning Faber would be an essential piece of the group.
“It’s extremely important to identify who you think is going to be part of your foundation,” Wild general manager Bill Guerin said. “It’s a no-brainer that Brock is going to be one of those guys.”
“It’s a no brainer.”
🗣️ Billy G on making the decision to secure Fabes for the next 8 years.” pic.twitter.com/D2vk95J5tl
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) July 29, 2024
Faber is securing a hefty deal after just one full season in the NHL, but it was a year he finished second in Calder Trophy voting for rookie of the year. In all 82 games of the 2023-24 season, Faber scored eight goals but picked up 39 assists for 47 total points.
The Wild still aren’t one of the youngest teams in the NHL, but they do have the pieces to build a solid team around that can be successful for years to come. Faber is an obvious choice for the blue line, while Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Marco Rossi can potentially be powerful threats on the forward core.
“This is about winning,” Guerin said. “This is about giving us the best chance to win the Stanley Cup. Locking up good young players… that’s what’s important.”
The Wild are a regular face in the Stanley Cup Playoffs but rarely find any success. In the 11 seasons since the half-season NHL lockout in 2012-13, the Wild have made the playoffs nine times.
In those nine appearances, they’ve only made it out of the first round twice, losing both times in the second round.
The Wild have a long way to go to really make noise in the postseason, but it shouldn’t take long to build a legitimate contender. With Faber locked in and other big names nearing their primes, the Wild should be a frightening team soon.
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Publish date : 2024-07-30 07:22:18
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