Brock Faber's not the NHL's top rookie, but the Wild D-man could still win big this summer

Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber finished a strong second in the NHL's award voting for best rookie, the league announced last night.

Why it matters: That Faber even made this year's Calder Trophy race interesting is an achievement on its own.

• Chicago's 18-year-old phenom Connor Bedard — who took the top prize — started the season as the heavy favorite.

Zoom out: Bedard is widely talked about as the sport's next Wayne Gretzky — but Faber's play swayed a lot of votes.

The big picture: The Maple Grove native was poised for a winning summer anyway: The Athletic has reported that the Wild are likely to offer him a massive contract extension, with a possible annual value north of $9 million.

• These days, that's the standard NHL price for a solid defenseman with offensive upside.

Catch up quick: No Wild skater logged more on-ice minutes this year than the 21-year-old former Golden Gopher.

• With injuries sidelining the steady defenseman Jared Spurgeon for much of the year, Wild coaches often pitted Faber against the opponents' top scorers — and he shut them down.
• Faber was also the Wild's top-scoring defenseman with 8 goals and 39 assists.

Bottom line: The Wild's identity has always revolved around skilled, poised defensemen.

• Faber fits the mold — and may soon be locked in as a new face for his hometown franchise.