OPINION: I’d Pick Brock Faber Over Connor Bedard

Connor Bedard is a young, generational talent at the beginning of what will be an amazing career. I’m excited to watch him grow and develop his talent even further than where it already is. But at this moment in time, I would not trade Brock Faber for Connor Bedard.

Before I dive in, I’d like to point out a few things. First of all, this is an opinion. You don’t have to agree. Second of all, Bedard is amazing. This piece isn’t refuting that. Neither is it diving into the Calder Trophy argument. Third of all, this isn’t about any other players. This is solely about Bedard and Faber. For more, listen to Her Wild Side Hockey Podcast, linked at the bottom as well.

The Wild’s Rebuild is Different Than Chicago’s Rebuild

Anyone who watched the NHL last season knows that the Chicago Blackhawks led the way in the “Tank for Bedard” race. And they won. They did a full-on, burn-it-to-the-ground rebuild so that they could build it back up around Bedard. That’s one way to turn a team around and it will be fun to watch as they rebuild.

The Wild, on the other hand, have elected to try for a competitive rebuild. While they’re definitely starting to turn things over to a new core of younger players (Kirill Kaprizov, Jesper Wallstedt, Matt Boldy), the Wild were not willing to tank. Instead, they are slowly turning over players while still trying to vie for a winning record. 

Chicago will be able to build around Bedard, surrounding him with other players who complement him and his style of play. The Wild, especially with their dead cap space, wouldn’t be able to do that. They would have to shoehorn him in somewhere instead of building around him.

Only One of Them Can Play on Both Sides of the Ice

Bedard is an elite goal scorer. Even being out with a broken jaw for a few weeks, he’s managed to put up 59 points in 63 games. That’s an amazing pace for an 18-year-old rookie. But, he still needs plenty of development when it comes to defensive play. He’ll certainly improve on that with time. But right now, his +/- is impressively low for someone who has 59 points. The plus/minus isn’t a great stat, but when paired with the amount of points, it certainly tells a story.

Faber, on the other hand, came in as an elite defenseman able to play top-pairing minutes. But the big surprise is that he’s racked up a decent amount of points, especially for a rookie defenseman. As of now, he’s put up 43 points in 77 games. As a player previously known as a stay-at-home defenseman, Faber has been able to expand his game to include scoring points and setting up plays without losing his defensive edge.

Bedard Couldn’t Hold the Wild Together, but Faber Can

I’ll admit that this point is a bit vague, but hang with me. The Wild played a good chunk of their season with half of the players being pulled up from the AHL. They played their hearts out, but the NHL is stronger and faster, something that AHL players needed to get used to. The only reason why the Wild didn’t totally sink to the bottom was because of their rookies. (While this article isn’t about Marco Rossi, he does deserve some credit for being the top scorer during this time and keeping up the offense while Faber nailed down the defense).  

If Faber and Bedard were traded one for one, they would affect their new teams in completely different ways. Sure, Bedard would add scoring. But the Wild have scored (when everyone is healthy). He would make a dent, but not a crater.

Chicago, on the other hand, would have their defensive game lifted to another level. Chicago has a few good defensemen, but Faber would lift it to another level just as he has here in Minnesota.

The “Hometown” Element is Important

The story has been told over and over this season. Faber is a born and raised Minnesota boy. As a hockey player here, he looked up to the Wild along with the University of Minnesota hockey team. He played for the U of M and was proud to wear the uniform. While he was happy that the Los Angeles Kings drafted him, he couldn’t help but be excited to be traded to his hometown team. 

Don’t misunderstand, there is nothing wrong with playing for a team in a different place than where a player grew up. But Faber is visibly excited and proud to stay in his home state. It’s a whole other level for him to play in the Xcel Center, where he had attended Wild games as a kid. 

Many fans have a feeling that Faber could end up playing his entire career with the Wild. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he was named the next captain as well. While he’s due for a big payday soon, he may be willing to take a small hometown discount if needed.

It’ll be important for Chicago to help Bedard put down roots there or they could risk him moving on for a better payday later on down the line.

Maturity is Important

Keeping in mind the different sorts of rebuilds that the teams are doing, maturity is more of an important asset for the Wild’s shorter rebuild. Chicago and Bedard have time for him to mature and develop into a mature player. Minnesota does not as they’re ready to go all-in once the salary cap lifts in another season. The fact that Faber seems wise beyond his years is great.

As a rookie, Faber is already able and willing to discuss the game with the media. He’s the first to admit when he makes a mistake. In fact, he seems to take credit for any mistake that happens when he is on the ice, even if he isn’t directly responsible.

Faber Has Continued to Surprise

Everyone knew what they were getting with Bedard when he entered the league. He hasn’t disappointed, putting up highlight-reel goals and scoring on goalie after goalie.

Faber, on the other hand, came into this season with some scrutiny. After only playing a handful of regular season games and six playoff games, some fans still weren’t about to jump on the Faber bandwagon. They pointed out that Faber had been playing on the third pair and with sheltered minutes. He came in and played top-pair minutes without blinking an eye.

Then, people said that he was only good because he was playing with Jonas Brodin. While that pairing probably helped Faber, Brodin certainly wasn’t carrying him. When Brodin went down with an injury, Faber jumped to another successful pairing, this time with Jake Middleton. Faber has sometimes played almost 30 minutes a night with a rotating partner and managed to not fall apart. He even jumped in to quarterback the top power-play unit without ever playing that role in college. And he was successful at it!

Both Bedard and Faber Are Amazing

At the end of the day, both Bedard and Faber are amazing players. While everyone wants to compare them, it’s an apples-to-oranges comparison. A center and a defenseman have different jobs and responsibilities. And honestly, they are both the best rookie in their given positions.

But the Wild have something in Faber that plugs into a spot that they needed. Bedard would certainly add, but it just isn’t the same.