Wild's Bill Guerin, Quinn Hughes talk Brock Faber after D-man suffers scary injury

NHL players are built different. 

During the second period of a 2-1 preseason loss to the Dallas Stars on Friday, a deflected shot from forward Sam Steel struck near Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber's left ear. After Faber skated to the bench, you wouldn't guess he suffered a scary injury, but he did. 

Wild reveal fractured skull diagnosis for Brock Faber

On Tuesday, Wild general manager Bill Guerin said Faber underwent surgery on his fractured skull on Sunday. The D-man will miss Thursday's regular-season opener against the Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET), and his return timeline remains unknown. It can take several months to recover from surgery on a fractured skull. 

Guerin said Faber is "doing well," and the Wild will closely follow the medical team's advice as he recovers. 

"Brock's a great player," Guerin said (h/t Field Level Media). "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 hockey aside and worry about the human being, and that's kind of what we're doing here now. 

"Brock's a son. He's a brother. There are people that care about him, so we got to worry about the human being right now, not so much the lineup."

Captain Jared Spurgeon is expected to replace Faber, who was slotted to join fellow 2026 Team USA Olympic gold medalist Quinn Hughes on Minnesota's top defensive pairing. The Wild offense will become less potent without him.

Last season, Faber tied for fifth on the team in points during the regular season (51, 15 goals and 36 assists). During the postseason, he ranked fourth (10, four goals and six assists). 

"Brock's a great guy," Hughes, entering his second season in Minnesota, said Tuesday (h/t NHL.com's Heather Rule). "Obviously, we won gold together and I've been his 'D' partner since I've been here, and just good friend and an excellent player. But I think everyone in here, they love Brock for who he is as a person."

The Wild will be keeping their well-regarded teammate in mind on Thursday. Watching his team earn a road win would put him in better spirits.