The Wild have gotten some encouraging news on Brock Faber, even if a full return date is still hanging in the air.
According to The Athletic’s Michael Russo, Faber has cleared his return-to-play protocol and should be able to get back on the ice for skating in a few days. There is still no timetable for when he’ll actually return to game action.
The 24-year-old defenceman had a procedure late last month to repair a skull fracture he suffered in the preseason.
Before the injury, Faber had already established himself as a key piece on Minnesota’s blue line. He logs major minutes as a top-pairing defenceman, averaging 24:41 of ice time in the regular season and then jumping to 29:44 in the playoffs.
Last season, the right-shot blueliner put up 15 goals and 51 points in 80 games. He added four goals and 10 points in 11 playoff games before the Wild were knocked out in the second round by the Colorado Avalanche.
Selected 45th overall by Minnesota in 2020, Faber has 33 goals and 127 points in 242 career games.
The Maple Grove, Minn., native has also built a strong international résumé. He has represented the United States twice at the World Juniors, helped the USA win silver at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and was part of the gold-medal team at the 2026 Olympics in Milano-Cortina.
Minnesota is also waiting on Jared Spurgeon, who is week-to-week with an undisclosed injury after leaving Tuesday’s game against the Utah Mammoth early, Russo reported. Spurgeon has one goal and five points in 10 games this season.
In the meantime, the Wild have brought up defenceman Carson Lambos from the AHL’s Iowa Wild. Lambos has one goal and one assist in eight AHL games this season.
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For Ottawa, the timing is hardly ideal. Warren Foegele is headed to the sidelines for an extended stretch after a knee-on-knee hit against Vegas, while the club is also preparing to welcome Thomas Chabot back into the lineup against the Los Angeles Kings and finally get its full defensive group together. Even with that good news, the loss of Foegele leaves another hole to manage, and it underscores how quickly one roster move can complicate the next. [Read more 🡒]