Wild Defenseman Brock Faber Suffers Skull Fracture in Preseason Game

Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber sustained a skull fracture during a preseason game Friday against the Dallas Stars and has undergone successful surgery. The team announced Tuesday that Faber is recovering at home, though no timeline for his return has been provided.

The injury occurred in the second period when Faber was struck in the head by a deflected puck. He initially remained in the game but was later removed and taken to the hospital. General Manager Bill Guerin stated that the surgery went well and that Faber is "doing really well."

"He just had a serious surgery and an injury, so we’re just gonna update you guys when the time’s right," Guerin said, according to The Athletic. "But he’s doing well. He’s doing really well, which is good news. And we’ll just follow the doctors’ leads."

Guerin also addressed questions about why Faber was not immediately removed from the game after the injury. "Yeah… there wasn’t. You know, it just didn’t… he seemed OK. As things progressed, we had to pull him," he explained.

Faber, 24, is considered a key player for the Wild. He is coming off a career-best season in which he recorded 15 goals and 36 assists for 52 points in 80 games. He also played a crucial role in the team's playoff run, tallying 10 points in 11 games. Faber was expected to form a star defensive pairing with Quinn Hughes this season. The Wild placed Faber on injured reserve indefinitely, and it is anticipated that Jared Spurgeon will fill the vacant role on the top defensive pairing.

"Brock’s a great player," Guerin added. "He’s a big player for us. So it’s always gonna affect your team when guys like that are out. But the biggest thing here is that he’s doing well, and sometimes you just have to put the hockey aside and worry about the human being, and that’s kind of what we’re doing here now."

The Minnesota Wild's regular season is set to begin Thursday in Nashville.