Neal: Like Brock Faber before him, Zeev Buium could give Wild a late-season lift

Brock Faber was asked to describe his welcome-to-the-NHL moment when he transitioned from the Gophers to the Wild.

“I still feel like I’m having a few of them this year,” he said with a chuckle.

The calm and composed Faber never looks like it, though. Within hours of the Gophers losing in the 2023 NCAA men’s hockey title game, Faber signed with the Wild and began his professional career.

It was plug-and-play. Faber did not look out of place, made more good decisions than bad, and did not look overwhelmed. Even when the Wild ran into Dallas in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs that year.

He looked like he belonged.

“It was just the mental aspect of it, right?” the 22-year-old said of his assimilation. “It was one of the hardest challenges for me. Physically, it’s still just the game of hockey. It’s faster, it is harder. But, you know, mentally, it was just the adjustment to the lifestyle, the environment you’re put in, the pressure. It’s built up a lot more, especially when you’re young and kind of in your head that you don’t want to make a mistake.”

As soon as next week, the Wild could welcome another highly touted defenseman and hope for another quick transition.

The University of Denver is in the Frozen Four to try to defend its national championship, and sophomore defenseman Zeev Buium enters this weekend as the highest-rated prospect among the title challengers. He was drafted 12th overall by the Wild a year ago, has 13 goals and 35 assists in 40 games, has played on two gold-medal winning U.S. junior national teams and is a favorite for the Hobey Baker Award.

At the college and junior levels, Buium has shown how gifted he is with the puck on his stick.

An offensive defenseman is just what the Wild can use as they attempt to rediscover their offense. As soon as the college hockey season is over, Buium is expected to sign with the Wild. They should sign him and not think twice about it.

Merit should be recognized. Like Faber, Buium is an elite prospect from a winning program. With Jake Middleton sidelined, they could use help on the blue line.

“It’s something that obviously could loom in the future in a positive way,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “Obviously, if Zeev comes, he’s a really good player, and we’d be excited to have him.”

Could Buium adjust as seamlessly as Faber did? Each case is different. But Faber showed it can be done on a playoff team. And Buium’s future teammates will be there to pick him up when he makes mistakes.

Faber was 20 when he debuted. Buium is 19.

Faber watched Buium play in the World Juniors and tracked him some this season at Denver. He’s not ruling out Buium being able to help right away.

“I’ve watched a few of his games,” Faber said. “I’ve never been on the ice with him, never met him. It’s hard to tell but, from what everyone is saying and from what I’ve heard, it’s going to be very exciting.”

On Wednesday, the Wild moved a couple of steps closer to being playoff-ready, from a roster standpoint.

Star winger Kirill Kaprizov returned to the ice after missing 28 games because of a lower-body injury. Two-way center Joel Eriksson Ek returned after missing 21 games with a lower-body injury of his own. Both announced their return with big nights in a victory over San Jose, Kaprizov scoring twice and Eriksson Ek a career-high four times against the Sharks.

Middleton’s return from an upper-body injury — how Bo Horvat didn’t get five minutes for sending him into the boards baffles me — gets them even closer.

Buium would complete the roster upgrade.

While it might be too much to expect of Buium to excel right away, why pump the brakes here? If Buium is good enough to contribute somehow, he should be on the roster. Signing him, and burning a year of his rookie deal, shows the Wild believe he can do just that. Any scoring he provides is a big plus for a team that has sputtered in the two-plus months while Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek were gone.

Buium being able to handle the quick transition to the NHL shouldn’t be an issue.

Being able to step in and look like a five-year veteran like Faber did? That’s what the challenge is.