Guerin: Faber's $68M deal 'worth the risk' for Wild
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Brock Faber made such an impression in his rookie season that the Minnesota Wild awarded him with an eight-year, $68 million extension on Monday.
That came after a total of just 84 NHL games and was the largest extension in Wild history.
Set to begin in 2025-26, Faber’s $8.5 million cap hit is set to be the biggest cap hit on the Wild behind Kirill Kaprizov’s five-year, $45 million deal ($9 million AAV).
Wild general manager Bill Guerin said via The Athletic’s Joe Smith the deal was a “no brainer” and worth whatever risk comes with reaching that type of megadeal.
In fact, Guerin doesn’t see much risk at all.
“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.
“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.”
Still only 21, Faber tallied eight goals and 47 points while suiting up in all 82 regular-season contests. He was a Calder Trophy finalist and finished first on the Wild in both goals and assists by a defenceman.
Selected in the second round (No. 45 overall), Faber grew up a Wild fan in nearby Maple Grove, Minn., a suburb of the Twin Cities, and called signing long-term with his hometown team a “dream come true.”
“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," Faber said. "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.”