Sure, we’ve got the daily, which takes a look at what’s happening around the NHL, but when something big happens in the Central Division that could impact the Avalanche both in the present and future, it probably deserves to be talked about. And on Monday, the Minnesota Wild dished out a big contract to someone Avalanche fans will be seeing a lot of for a long time.
Brock Faber, who just completed his first full season in the NHL and has just 84 games under his belt, was handed an eight year, $68 million contract extension on Monday. This extension doesn’t even kick in for another year, as he’ll still be playing on his entry-level deal next season.
Faber was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, but ended up losing out to Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard. Full disclosure – Faber got my vote for award. It certainly wasn’t because I thought Bedard was bad. I just felt like what Faber did as a rookie, playing the minutes he did, was incredibly impressive. 47 points in 82 games as a 21 year old defenseman is nothing to sneeze at. It ultimately didn’t help the Wild make the playoffs, but it was still a very strong rookie season.
As mentioned earlier, this deal will kick in after next season. Minnesota has one more year of dealing with almost $15 million in dead cap money, thanks to the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. After next season, they still will have those buyouts on the books, but it drops down to a reasonable $1.66 million for three more seasons. I had the Wild out of the playoff race in my power rankings over the weekend, and I’d be surprised if they snuck into the postseason next year.
There is a fair bit of risk to a deal like this, given how little experience Faber has. Will NHL teams adjust to him next season or will he show he’s for real? If he has a down year, the deal might not look so great, but the Wild ran the risk of him asking for even more if he had another big season. Minnesota had to weigh the pros and cons of this contract, but in my opinion, it’s probably a wise investment. He’s a real good player, and he’ll only look better when Zeev Buium arrives to help him. I like a handful of the players the Wild have on their team, but not quite sure what the plan is there for Bill Guerin.
Every time an NHL defenseman signs a big contract, we’re all just reminded of how big a bargain Cale Makar‘s deal is for the Avalanche. Sure, he’ll probably completely reset the market for defensemen in three years when he needs a new deal, but he’ll have earned it. $9 million a season for an elite defenseman continues to look incredible.
The Avalanche won’t even play the Wild next season until January of 2025, but will see them four times between Jan. 9 and March 11.