Minnesota Wild close to extending contract with starting goalie Filip Gustavsson
The Minnesota Wild are about to finalize a contract extension with their starting goaltender, Filip Gustavsson. The news comes as a strategic move by the team.
This deal represents the second major move by the Wild this week, following the signing of Kirill Kaprizov, who agreed to an eight-year contract for $136 million.
Gustavsson, 27, was in the final year of his contract, which earned him $3.75 million annually. The Swedish goalkeeper established himself as one of the most reliable starters in the NHL last year, participating in 58 games, the most in his career. His performance included a 31-19-6 record, with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage, which led him to finish sixth in the Vezina Trophy voting, obtaining two votes for third place.
Originally selected in the second round of the 2016 draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Gustavsson spent his first two years in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators before being traded to Minnesota in 2022 in exchange for veteran Cam Talbot. Initially, Gustavsson shared the goal with Marc-Andre Fleury before becoming the undisputed starter for the Wild.
Fleury retired this summer. Jesper Wallstedt, selected in the first round of 2021, is shaping up as Gustavsson’s backup for this season.
The possible extension indicates that the Wild are securing most of their key players under 30 years old with multi-year contracts, including Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Brock Faber. Minnesota also has several players with entry-level contracts who are expected to contribute significantly this season, such as Liam Ohgren, David Jiricek, and Zeev Buium.
Gustavsson’s contract also comes at a time when many NHL evaluators consider the goaltending market to be limited.
Minnesota finished fourth in the Central Division last season, which once again shapes up to be the most competitive in the NHL. The Wild are looking to bounce back after their first-round elimination last year against the Vegas Golden Knights.
