Minnesota’s blue line faces uncertainty as the star defenseman remains sidelined following a head injury. Tuesday’s practice looms large with the regular-season opener against Nashville quickly approaching.
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Brock Faber was absent from Minnesota Wild practice for the second consecutive day on Sunday as the team continues to evaulate the defenseman after he was struck in the head by a puck during friday's preseason finale.
Faber, 24, was hit by a shot from Dallas Stars forward Sam Steel during the second period of Minnesota's 2-1 loss. He went down immediately but eventually skated off under his own power.
The 6-foot-1 defender returned for his next shift and finished the second period before being held out for the third.
Wild head coach John Hynes said after the game that at least part of the decision to keep Faber out was precautionary.
Faber was then absent from Saturday's practice and was considered day-to-day. Hynes said Saturday that Faber was doing well but that the Wild needed more time to evaluate him.
Faber remained off the ice when Minnesota returned to practice Sunday.
The Wild are off Monday before returning to the ice Tuesday, when there should be more clarity on Faber's status.
That will make Tuesday's practice an important one to watch with Minnesota's regular-season opener quickly approaching.
The Wild begin the 2026-27 regular season Thursday on the road against the Nashville Predators.
Faber is expected to once again play a major role on Minnesota's blue line alongside Quinn Hughes. If he is unable to play Thursday, the Wild would have to adjust a defensive group that has spent training camp preparing for the Hughes-Faber pairing to anchor the blue line.
Faber recorded 51 points in 80 games last season and averaged more than 24 minutes of ice time per game.
See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
