By Tony Abbott -
When Brock Faber inked the contract extension that will make him the Minnesota Wild's highest-paid defenseman next year, general manager Bill Guerin made his expectations clear regarding what he wanted for the $8.5 million AAV.
Brock Faber.
"You're getting this because of who you are as a player and a person," the GM told his foundational defenseman. "Don't ever change."
Guerin said that came after a rookie season where Faber's expectations shifted dramatically. Once thought to be a defensive defenseman in the tradition of Jonas Brodin, Faber broke out with a 47-point season. At just 21, he had more points as a defenseman in a single season than any Wild blueliner not named Ryan Suter or Matt Dumba. His all-around game vaulted him into second place in the Calder Trophy voting.
But after a strong start to the season, Faber has looked anything but Faber-like for most of the second half of the season. Since January 1, Faber has been outscored 16-27 at 5-on-5, a 37.2% goals-for percentage that ranks fourth-worst among 145 defensemen with 500-plus minutes during that time. Fans have noticed the toll his huge minutes are taking on him, and the exhaustion might go beyond the physical.
Faber's calling card might be his poise; he's usually in position and makes the right play. But we're seeing more slips, like with Mikael Backlund's opening goal on Friday, when he and Filip Gustavsson miscommunicated on what should have been an easy retrieval.
Wild fans know that's not Brock Faber, and it's certainly not the version Minnesota needs to unexpectedly make some noise in the playoffs. The 2025 version of Faber might even (still) cost the Wild a playoff spot. Faber's struggles on the offensive and defensive side of the puck have cost Minnesota 3.1 points in the standings, per Evolving-Hockey's Standings Points Above Replacement. That's the sixth-largest negative impact in the league.
Still, it's hard to blame Faber for all this. Partly because the Wild can not turn off the Big Minutes switch, thanks to a never-ending string of injuries. But also, because through all of this, Faber still shows flashes of greatness, even when he's being pushed to the absolute limit.
Faber played 27 minutes and 28 seconds on Friday night against the Calgary Flames. After traveling to Vancouver, he played 33:28 on Saturday, the second-highest single-game total in the NHL this year. That's an hour-plus of hockey in two nights, with a plane ride in between. Still, Faber was the difference-maker in a do-or-die game. He scored the Wild's first goal to cut Vancouver's lead to 2-1, then assisted on Mats Zuccarello's overtime winner.
His contributions went beyond scoring. When Faber was on the ice at even strength, the Wild had a 2-0 goal advantage backed up by a 32-9 edge in unblocked shot attempts. For over half the game, Faber ensured that Minnesota got over 75% of the offense. Friday saw Minnesota's young defenseman at his best, even as the team had to keep shoveling responsibility onto his shoulders.
But which of these Fabers are we going to see going forward? The one who struggled in Calgary, or the one who can control an entire game?
If it's the latter, it'll be because he somehow finds a way to push through the literal miles the Wild has put on him. According to NHL Edge, Faber has skated 273.5 miles this season, the 10th-most in the NHL. It's hard to see a way that Minnesota lightens his load going into the playoffs. The left-shot Zeev Buium, the Wild's top prospect from Denver, won't take minutes away from the right-shot Faber, even if John Hynes immediately relies on the 19-year-old blueliner.
Buium could only help Faber if Hynes plays the two together, letting Buium focus on the puck-handling duties. Right now, Faber is tasked with being Minnesota's go-to option in all three zones. That doesn't just mean that Faber is playing a huge number of minutes, but they're minutes requiring him to go all-out. Having Buium as the first option in the offensive and maybe even neutral zone could help keep Faber fresh in the grind of a playoff round.
But then we circle back to whether Hynes will trust a teenager with any significant workload. That feels like a big stretch. Still, trying something to help Faber not spend a half-hour on the ice doing everything every night might be worthwhile. As it stands, though, it's the status quo for Minnesota, even once Jared Spurgeon returns from getting hit in the throat with a puck.
That needs to change next season. Whether by choice or necessity, the Wild are forcing Faber into the Suter's role, and he's not that kind of player. Suter logged huge minutes, partly because he could conserve his energy and focus on defense throughout games. Faber has Suter-like endurance but does more than Suter, so he can't conserve that energy throughout the game.
Because of that, he can't be Brock Faber. That's not what Guerin wanted and what fans want to see from him. Minnesota has to figure out the balance that allows Faber to be himself for the playoffs and beyond.
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