With the Minnesota Wild’s regular season starting today (Oct. 12), there will be expectations for every player in the lineup. Of course, certain players will be under more pressure than others, but it’s important to remember that some players are just starting in the NHL. Players like Marco Rossi and Brock Faber will be playing their first full NHL seasons, and they’ll have some big expectations on their shoulders.
It’s easy to expect more from Rossi since fans saw him play in 19 games last season, and everyone concluded there was another level he could reach. Faber is more unknown; he played in eight games last season and looked great but didn’t have time to get comfortable. While it’s okay to expect great things from him, it’s essential to keep those expectations realistic and not get disappointed if he doesn’t reach them.
Faber’s Going to Make Mistakes
It never fails that when fans see an excellent young star, they expect these players to break barriers and become NHL superstars overnight. Rarely does that happen, and these young guys are often thrown under the bus when they make a common mistake. Faber will be the same; he has great eyes for the game but sometimes needs to improve.
Whether it be throwing the puck across the blue line in the offensive zone and it gets picked off, like in one of their preseason games, or deciding to pass instead of shoot, there are many scenarios where a mistake could be made. Every player in the NHL makes mistakes throughout the season, and rookies are usually guilty more often because they’re still learning. While he played like a veteran in a short amount of time last season, Faber will be a full-fledged rookie this season, and he’ll have to play a full 82 games.
It’ll be interesting to see how he holds up because he’ll now partner with Jonas Brodin, one of the Wild’s top-minute eaters. He’ll be expected to play upwards of 20 minutes a night, every night, and fatigue will make mistakes more prevalent. Hopefully, his transition will be smooth, and he can learn and move on when he does make an error.
Faber’s Offensive Expectations
Just because he’s paired with Brodin, who isn’t known for his offense, doesn’t mean Faber won’t tally points. He’s shown blips of offense and his willingness to jump into the play when allowed. Without any previous NHL experience to compare to, it’s hard to predict the number of goals and assists he’ll accumulate.
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However, looking at his college production in three seasons with the University of Golden Gophers in the Big Ten Conference, it’s expected he would register more assists than goals. Across those seasons, he averaged less than five goals per season, but he also averaged at least 11 assists a season.
Faber has yet to tally his first point in the NHL, but it’ll happen; he likes to shoot the puck, and it’s only a matter of time until one goes in. Realistically, he’ll probably record under five goals, but he could get between 15-20 assists. That may seem a little high, but defensemen pass the puck a lot, and while he likes to shoot, it is his first season, and he may be more comfortable passing than shooting.
Faber’s Defensive Expectations
This is the area of his play where he’ll shine, and with the departure of Matt Dumba, the Wild will need Faber at the top of his game to try and fill that void. Dumba was responsible for 116 blocked shots last season, and they’ll need Faber to step up and do the same. It’s very feasible that he could get that many blocks during the season; he blocked nine shots in just two regular season games in the 2022-23 season. He obviously won’t be able to keep up that average all season, but if he can keep even half of it, he’ll get over 100 blocked shots.
While blocked shots are one of the most critical stats regarding the defensive side, turnovers are too. Faber had just one giveaway and one takeaway in those two regular season games, but he’s shown he can pick the puck off opponents’ sticks and force them to give up the puck. He has made mistakes, such as passing along the blue line when he shouldn’t, but he has also shown he can learn from those mistakes.
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Again, keeping things realistic, he will have giveaways because he will make mistakes, as said earlier, but he will also have takeaways. They likely won’t be high numbers, but he will have some of both. Finally, as far as hits go, he didn’t have any during his two games last season, but that doesn’t mean he’s not willing to throw his weight around. He won’t be the hitter Dumba was, but he’ll probably be on the lower end of the stats sheet in that area until he gets entirely comfortable in his position and figures out how and when to use his body.
Faber’s 2023-24 Season
Faber is a highly anticipated addition to the Wild’s defensive core for both sides of his game. Fans will want to see a solid defensive game but also expect goals. He doesn’t have Dumba’s slap shot, but his shot is a bit more sneaky than powerful, and it will fool goaltenders.
He won’t be over-the-top successful immediately, but he likely will exceed expectations if they are set realistically. If everyone expects 50 points plus 200 blocks with zero mistakes, they will be very disappointed. However, if they set their expectations to 15-20 points and 80-100 blocks, that’s much more likely. It may still be slightly high, but that’s the point of expectations and allows him to grow. Hopefully, he’ll show his stuff and have a successful first full season.
