What wonderful news: The Wild Star player has been awarded a large sum of

Biggie and Puff were right when they said that Brock Faber is going to have a lot more troubles.

As the season comes to an end, fans may turn their attention to Faber’s Calder Trophy watch if the Minnesota Wild are unable to make off a stunning run to the postseason. His career earnings could be significantly impacted by that year-end performance as well.

The Wild will undoubtedly try to sign him [this summer] to a maximum eight-year contract, and he’s most likely expecting an average annual value of more than $8 million. Jake Sanderson and Ottawa agreed to a $64.4 million, eight-year contract. Both of them are 21 years old. That is the analogous.

It appears that the word “above” is carrying a lot of the weight in that statement.

Sanderson makes the most sense as a parallel. Sanderson inked his agreement with one year left on his ELC. He is another elite defenseman selected in the 2020 draft. For this reason, the Sanderson contract is a great place to start when estimating Faber’s extension.

But a number of distinctions between the two imply that Faber is a better player than Sanderson. Faber will now be eligible for even greater compensation.

First, the fundamentals: Sanderson shoots left, and Faber shoots right. If they were forwards, that wouldn’t be as significant, but there aren’t many right-shot defenseman in the NHL. Because right-shot defensemen make puck retrievals, breakout plays, and controlling the offensive zone considerably simpler, NHL coaches like to pair them with left-shot defensemen. Righties and lefties have contracts that differ by at least $1 million AAV, according to some of the best defenseman in the league.

If Biggie and Puff were right, Brock Faber is about to have a whole lot mo’ problems.

If the Minnesota Wild can’t pull off a miracle run to the playoffs, Faber’s Calder Trophy watch might become the main event for fans as the season winds down. That end-of-year performance could also have a significant impact on his career earnings.

In the Athletic’s latest Minnesota Wild mailbag, Michael Russo and Joe Smith reported that the defenseman from Maple Grove could sign his first contract this summer:

It seems certain the Wild will look [this summer] to sign him to a max eight-year deal, and he’s almost certainly looking at an average annual value above $8 million per. Jake Sanderson signed an eight-year, $64.4 million deal with Ottawa. They’re both 21. That’s the comparable.

It looks like “above” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence.

It makes sense that Sanderson is the best comparable. He’s another high-end defenseman from the 2020 draft, and Sanderson also signed his extension with one year remaining on his ELC. That makes the Sanderson contract an excellent starting point to estimate Faber’s extension.

However, several differences between the players suggest Faber is more valuable than Sanderson. That puts Faber in line for an even bigger payday.

First, the basics: Faber shoots right, while Sanderson shoots left. That wouldn’t matter as much if they were forwards, but the NHL has a shortage of right-shot defensemen. NHL coaches prefer to put a right-shot defenseman next to a lefty because it makes puck retrievals, breakout plays, and holding the offensive zone much easier. Looking at the contracts for some of the top defensemen in the league, there’s a difference of about $1 million AAV or more between righties and lefties.

Faber also has an edge in production. In 2022-23, Sanderson’s rookie year, he scored four goals and 28 assists in 77 games. Faber has already scored four goals and 25 assists this year, on pace for six goals and 39 assists in 77 games. On top of that, Sanderson posted a minus-6 +/- last year, while Faber currently has a plus-4.

Goals, points, and +/- can describe past performance well but don’t project future performance effectively. Advanced statistics are much better predictors of future success. The Athletic’s player cards are a great tool to easily understand multiple facets of a player’s abilities using some of the most robust analytics available. Faber’s and Sanderson’s are pictured below: