On June 29, 2022, the Minnesota Wild sent star forward Kevin Fiala to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2022 first-round pick and a kid named Brock Faber, who played college hockey at the University of Minnesota. Two years later, that kid is now the Wilds's number-one defenseman and a star in the making. He just signed an eight-year, $68 million contract with a cap hit of $8.5 million.

If Faber can further advance and develop his game this could be viewed as a bargain of a contract in years to come. Look at Seth Jones from the Blackhawks making $9.5 million a year and Darnell Nurse in Edmonton at $9.25 million. Faber is the superior player to the players mentioned. Not to forget the NHL salary cap is expected to rise over the next couple of years.

Faber got limited NHL time in 2023, playing in only 2 games to prepare him for his official rookie season this past year. He exceeded any expectations the Wild had for him. At 21 years old, Faber quickly turned into the Wild's number-one defenseman, going up against the NHL’s best every night. Faber played all 82 games and finished 6th in the entire NHL in time on ice with 24:58 minutes. Playing on both the first powerplay unit and the first penalty kill unit, Faber did it all this season.

Among the rookie class, Faber was a clear standout. He led all rookies in time on ice, blocked shots, and assists with 39, tied with Connor Bedard. He tied for 2nd in points with 47, and the most impressive stat was that he finished with a total of 2,047:53 minutes of ice time this season. That's the most by a rookie since the 2000–2001 season. Faber finished the year with eight goals, 39 assists, and 47 points in 82 games. The 47 points put him second in points all-time in Minnesota Wild-Francise history behind his teammate Kirill Kaprizov. Faber finished second in the Calder Memorial Trophy race, awarded to the best NHL rookie behind the Chicago Blackhawks, Connor Bedard. 

Wild General Manager Bill Guerin views Faber as a leader and a piece to build around for his young team.

The Wild have not won a playoff series since 2015 and have lost eight consecutive playoff series. With the Central Division only getting better with moves from the Nashville Predators, Utah Hockey Club, and the powerhouses of the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche, it's not going to be easy to get back into the playoffs. 

With a young core established with Faber, Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, Marco Rossi, and much more talent in the pipeline, the future is looking bright. Not to mention the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter's contracts will save $6 million per contract on the salary cap after the 2025 season. The Wild will have $13,076,924 to spend next offseason to help bolster their line-up from the buyouts.

It will be a challenge for the Wild to get a playoff spot in a deep western conference, but they are headed in the right direction. Next offseason, it should be expected that the Wild go all in on free agency and push to be a contender with a young group of players.