It wasn’t so way back that the Minnesota Wild were dangling rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt in trade talks of their quest to accumulate a top-flight center.
But life comes at you fast, and after a robust Stanley Cup Playoff showing, it could possibly be veteran Filip Gustavsson on the move as a substitute, as reported by Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman.
Friedman said on the FAN Hockey Show earlier this week that he doesn’t imagine the Wild will trade Wallstedt at this point, and as a substitute, Gustavsson is the netminder in consideration to potentially get a change of scenery.
The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Joe Smith reported last week that Minnesota GM Bill Guerin made a pitch for St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline back in March.
The Wild dangled Wallstedt and forward Danila Yurov as a part of a package, which Blues GM Doug Armstrong declined. Fast forward a few months, and Wallstedt looks just like the bonafide No. 1 goaltender within the State of Hockey.
The young Swede put together a hugely respectable postseason, especially considering the Wild played two powerhouses within the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. He sported a 2.77 goals-against average and .909 save percentage, while Gustavsson barely saw the crease.
That has completely uprooted the goaltending hierarchy in Saint Paul, and things got much more interesting after the announcement that Gustavsson will undergo offseason hip surgery and may not be ready for the 2026-27 season.
The 27-year-old looked like the longer term in net for the Wild, and the front office gave him a five-year, $34 million contract extension back in October that kicks in next season.
Meanwhile, Wallstedt is making just $2.2 million in 2026-27 before becoming a restricted free agent. The best way he played within the playoffs, and considering Gustavsson’s injury, it’s looking just like the organization is indeed considering a full 180 between the pipes.
That being said, Gustavsson’s extension carries a no-movement clause in the primary two seasons of the deal, and Guerin said on the Wild’s end-of-season presser that he has little interest in trading either netminder.
The tandem of Wallstedt and Gustavsson is a robust one, and the pair each represented Team Sweden on the Winter Olympics in Milan. But Gustavsson’s cap hit of $6.8 million could grow to be an issue, especially as priority No. 1 for the organization is getting superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes locked as much as a long-term extension.
In the search to accumulate a No. 1 center, retain Hughes’s services, and keep the Stanley Cup window open, it’ll be interesting to see if Guerin and the front office eventually determine to maneuver on from certainly one of their goalies.
It wasn’t so way back that the Minnesota Wild were dangling rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt in trade talks of their quest to accumulate a top-flight center. But life comes at you fast, and after a robust Stanley Cup Playoff showing, it could possibly be veteran Filip Gustavsson on the move as a substitute, as reported by Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman.