ST. PAUL, Minn — Brock Faber was having a nice little Sunday night at his downtown Minneapolis apartment.
He did some laundry. Made dinner.
That’s when he got a life-changing call.
A few miles away, in a conference room at the Graduate hotel, fittingly right in the heart of the University of Minnesota campus, Faber’s camp and Wild general manager Bill Guerin were hammering home a megadeal for the former Gophers captain. Agents Brian, Scott and Steve Bartlett had come to terms on an eight-year, $68 million extension for Faber, the prized Wild rookie and Calder Trophy finalist. The hometown kid from Maple Grove, who grew up wearing Wild jerseys, sleeping in Wild sheets, is locked in for the next decade.
“A dream come true,” Faber said.
Faber’s first call was to his parents, Karri and Jay, and he gave them an immediate instruction.
“You’ve got to go to St. Paul in the morning,” he said.
Faber’s parents — we forget, he’s just 21 years old — were by his side when he signed the deal Monday. It was not only Faber’s talent, jumping into a No. 1 defense role as a rookie, but his maturity that led the Wild to bet on him after just 84 NHL games. Faber’s extension, the largest in franchise history, gives him a higher cap hit at $8.5 million than reigning Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes ($7.85 million AAV) and Miro Heiskanen ($8.45 million AAV) and just under Cale Makar ($9 million AAV).
Brock Faber will continue to live out his childhood dream with the @mnwild. 🥹
(📸: IG/brockfaber14) pic.twitter.com/IzDY7RInMk
— NHL (@NHL) July 29, 2024
Guerin called it a “no-brainer.”
“This is a different game now, a different generation, a different way of doing business,” Guerin said. “It’s really important you have to do a lot of work to make sure who you’re identifying as your foundation guys. When I was going through (my playing career), I was going through 10 years and (at age) 31 you can sign your big deal. But your prime years are behind you. I’d much rather have a guy Brock’s age on an eight-year deal than a 31-year-old guy. It makes sense. He’s not even in his prime yet. He’s only played one year. But it was so good. He’s shown he’s mature enough to handle it. He’s shown he’s going to keep on getting better. So, yeah, he’s worth the risk.”
Faber tied for the NHL rookie lead with 39 assists last season and finished runner-up for the Calder Trophy behind Chicago’s Connor Bedard. He played in all 82 games, even while dealing with broken ribs late in the year, and averaged the sixth-highest ice time (24 minutes, 58 seconds) among all NHL players. It was the most by a rookie over a full season since the statistic was first tracked in 1997. Guerin reflected during Monday’s news conference about a shift Faber played last season when he was on the ice for four-plus minutes.
“I’ve never seen straighter legs,” Guerin said, laughing. “But then he went back to the bench, and 30 seconds later he came back out and looked fresh. That’s a gift. Not everybody can do that.”
The Wild smartly extend Brock Faber for his entire prime. It’s a deal that should quickly become a steal as he entrenches himself as a legit No. 1 defenseman. pic.twitter.com/UpvBUtL3lU
— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) July 29, 2024
When Faber arrived at Monday’s news conference after Guerin, the GM jokingly yelled out, “Come on, moneybags!” Faber wore shorts and a Special Olympics T-shirt, a stick tap to his younger sister Paige, who plays for Minnesota Special Hockey. Faber said having Paige be able to go to his games the next nine years (his entry-level contract wraps up after this season) and him being able to go to hers is what also makes this special.
“I’ve always tried to be myself,” Faber said. “Money and contracts aside, the way I look at the game, the way I respect the game, the way I respect my teammates, the way I go about my business, it’s not going to change who I am or what the goal is, what the task is at hand. And that’s to win, obviously. I feel like that’s a big reason we’re on the same page. That’s really the only thing I care about, the only thing that the guys care about in the room. I’m just grateful that we can take this step and I get to keep growing, keep learning, keep maturing for a long time here playing in Minnesota. Again, I’d argue there’s no one who wanted to play for the Minnesota Wild more than myself, and it worked out that way. And it’s incredible for me and my family.
“It’s a dream come true, to say the least.”
When Guerin said the contract could allow him to buy the cabin he always wanted, Faber quipped he’s already all set. “My grandparents have a cabin, and I have no problem going there every week.” Those who know Faber well feel the money, the contract, won’t change him at all, knowing how humble and mature he is. One of the first things Faber said to agent Brian Bartlett on Sunday night after getting news of the deal is that he’d see him at 8:30 a.m. for the next day’s workout.
As good as Faber was last season, he feels there’s a lot more room to grow. What drives him the most is bringing a Stanley Cup to his hometown, but his individual goals are just as high.
He wants to be a Norris winner like Hughes, like Makar.
“Oh yeah, we’re competitors,” Faber said. “I’m confident in myself and my work ethic and the person I am, the player I can be someday. That’s a goal of mine individually (Norris).”
Faber’s $8.5 million annual average value is also the largest for a defenseman in Wild history (captain Jared Spurgeon held that record at $7.57 million AAV). The contract doesn’t include any signing bonuses. A no-move clause and a 15-team no-trade clause kicks in after Year 5 of the deal, a league source told The Athletic. Guerin has locked up a large part of his core, including giving defenseman Jake Middleton a four-year extension this summer.
Via Shayna Goldman
The Wild already have $71 million committed to just 15 players (nine forwards, five defensemen, one goalie) for the 2025-26 season, the first one with the Zach Parise-Ryan Suter buyouts not putting such a heavy burden in dead cap. That’s also the last year of Kirill Kaprizov’s contract. Once Faber’s deal kicks in for the 2025-26 season, he will be the team’s second-highest-paid player, behind Kaprizov’s $9 million AAV, and has the look and makeup of a future captain.
Faber said they plan to have a big family dinner to celebrate his new deal a few Fridays from now, a barbecue at his childhood home in Maple Grove. They’ll invite cousins, aunts, uncles and just “take it easy.” He hasn’t forgotten where he came from, giving major credit to his parents.
“It takes a village, right?” he said. “There’s no way I’d be here without them. My sister and my older sister and my cousins and friends and past coaches. I’m the one signing the contract, but it’s theirs as much as mine. Because of the influence and impact they’ve had on me.”
Making dreams come true 🥹 pic.twitter.com/zihyP6hZut
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) July 29, 2024
With Jay and Karri at his side, Faber signed the contract Monday in Guerin’s office. The longtime former NHLer and Cup champ offered an important message.
“It’s well-earned and well deserved,” Guerin told Faber. “What did I tell you yesterday?”
“Be myself,” Faber replied. “I don’t need to change anything. I don’t need to try and earn it all in one game.”
“That’s one of the great things about hockey players. They want to earn their money,” Guerin said. “But sometimes, it gets them in trouble. They try to be something they’re not. You’re getting this because you are who you are as a player and a person. Don’t ever change.”
Faber smiled: “I will not.”
(Top photo: Brace Hemmelgarn / USA Today)
