ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber returned to practice with the team on Thursday, moving closer to making his regular season debut that was delayed by a fractured skull.
Wild coach John Hynes said Faber has been cleared by team doctors to play, but the 24-year-old still needs to ramp up his strength and conditioning to be ready for game action. Faber won't play in either of Minnesota's home games on Friday or Saturday, Hynes said, but he's scheduled to be on the next road trip that begins on Tuesday at Montreal.
Faber was hit on the side of his helmet near the left ear hole by a shot in a preseason game on Sept. 25 and later taken to a hospital for surgery after his condition worsened. Faber logged the ninth-most minutes of any player in the NHL last season and had a career-high 51 points in 80 games.
The Wild lead the Central Division with 25 points at 11-3-3, despite the absence of Faber and other key players to injuries. Captain Jared Spurgeon, who replaced Faber on the top defensive pair with Quinn Hughes, suffered a lower-body injury and has missed the last seven games. Spurgeon will also join the Wild for the road trip next week along with forwards Marcus Foligno and Nick Foligno and goalie Filip Gustavsson, who has yet to play this season while recovering from hip surgery. The Foligno brothers have each been out for a month due to upper body injuries.
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FILE - Minnesota Wild's Brock Faber during an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, March 28, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File)
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray will miss at least the next game because of a hamstring strain, coach Kevin O'Connell announced on Thursday.
Carson Wentz will start instead against Buffalo on Monday, with Max Brosmer serving as the backup. Murray's status will be evaluated week to week, O'Connell said, with the hope he can be ready to play by Nov. 15 when the Vikings (6-1) visit Green Bay. Murray is not under consideration for injured reserve, O'Connell said, which would require a minimum four-game absence.
“We do feel like we’d be putting him at risk by possibly turning this into a more significant injury than it already is,” O'Connell said.
Murray was forced out of the season opener after 11 snaps because of a concussion that also kept him out of the following game. Wentz threw three touchdown passes in the rally to beat Green Bay and started the rainy victory at Chicago, going 23 for 39 for 276 yards with six sacks and no turnovers while Murray was out.
Wentz, the second overall pick in the 2016 draft, went 2-3 as the starter last year while J.J. McCarthy was sidelined. O’Connell sidestepped a question about whether Wentz could keep the job with a strong performance even after Murray is cleared.
“There's a ton of confidence in Carson,” O'Connell said. “He's already helped us.”
Murray was hurt on a read-option run in the fourth quarter at Detroit last week when he turned the corner past star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson for a 9-yard gain. Murray remained in the game as the Vikings took their first loss, but an MRI exam on Monday confirmed the strain after he had reported soreness.
O'Connell, who declined to specify the severity of the injury, stressed the importance of a cautious approach with an injury that can linger if it's not fully healed. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson wound up missing seven games with a hamstring strain in 2023. With Murray struggling to find a rhythm throwing the ball, the Vikings will be wary to send him out if he can't run at full speed.
“Just knowing that Kyler needs his mobility, it's a big huge part of what makes him an effective player,” O'Connell said.
Since Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles tendon at Green Bay on Oct. 29, 2023, O'Connell and the Vikings over a span of 52 games will have switched starting quarterbacks for injury or performance 17 different times, including 14 in-season changes and five in-game.
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray (1) runs against the Detroit Lions during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
