With the conclusion of the NHL Entry Draft and most of the big free agents signed on July 1st, fans of all teams have a much better idea of how their clubs will look when they take the ice for the 2024-2025 season. While these days of roster construction provide countless answers for NHL teams, they also leave many with questions. One question in particular is looming large in Minnesota. Just what is going with the Minnesota Wild goalies?
Minnesota Wild Current Goaltending Situation Analyzed
The Wild possess a unique blend of assets in net with a group that includes a legend of the game in the twilight of his career, a potential mystery box of a player, and a promising rising star that needs playing time. Before the Wild take the ice, they need to analyze their goaltending situation and form a plan that will get the most out of their assets.
Before diving into the possibilities the club faces, let’s discuss what the current Minnesota Wild goalies mean to the team.
Marc-André Fleury
Marc-André Fleury shocked many when he re-signed with the Minnesota Wild in April. The legendary goalie has been productive during his two seasons with the Wild, especially during his first year. That being said, Fleury will be turning 40 during this season. He also posted the worst save percentage of his career last year, saving just 89.5% of the shots he faced.
Despite poor results last year, Fleury brings a stable presence to the team and is beloved by fans and teammates everywhere he goes. With a lesser role, the team would expect greater results. The Wild know what they have in Fleury and, at the very least, that makes him more steady than the other goalie who played significant time for Minnesota last year.
Filip Gustavsson
The biggest question mark of the Minnesota Wild goalies group is Filip Gustavsson. Gustavsson boasted a .931 save percentage in 2022-23, one of the best in the league. This breakout year came after the Ottawa Senators traded Gustavsson to Minnesota and allowed the goalie to receive the most playing time yet in his young career with 37 starts. The dazzling season earned him a contract extension with the Wild, and he looked to be off to the races as the team’s new number one goaltender.
The 2023-24 season turned out to be disastrous for Gustavsson and the hype from his last season died down significantly. At year’s end, The Swedish goalies save percentage stood at .899. Perhaps most concerning about Gustavsson’s play was that he never gained any level of consistency. The goalie’s best save percentage month came in March where he notched a spectacular .947 save percentage, but this was sandwiched between two poor months. In February he logged just a .883 save percentage to go with a .890 percentage in April (albeit in just three games.) At just 26 years old, there is some hope he could return to form, but 2016 second-round pick remains a mystery.
Jesper Wallstedt
The final piece of the puzzle for the Minnesota Wild goalies group comes in the form of Jesper Wallstedt. Wallstedt is one of the most promising goalie prospects in the world and has played in the Wild’s organization for the last two years with the Iowa Wild. The Swede has put up respectable numbers and many believe he may be ready to take more responsibility in Minnesota. The promising young goaltender will be 22 years old in November, so he’s still developing as well.
Wallstedt has always shown promise, but jumped on many radars after his eye-catching 2021-2022 World Juniors run. The 2021 first-round pick logged a .940 save percentage in five games during the tournament. The young player also logged a .910 save percentage in 45 games in the AHL last season. Wallstedt’s rise is what makes Minnesota’s goaltending group so interesting. This situation leads to a compelling assortment of directions for the Wild to go with their goalies.
Possible Outcomes
Could One of the Minnesota Wild Goalies be Traded?
One obvious outcome is for the Wild to make a trade. The team lacks scoring depth and has very little cap space to acquire it. The team spent what they had in space signing Yakov Trenin, but he will mostly contribute as a defensively responsible forward with size. The Wild could solve three problems with one move. Trading one of their goalies for a depth scorer could help their cap situation, free up space to get Wallstedt some games, and add some much-needed offense.
Making that move is easier said than done. To start, who would the Wild trade? Marc-André Fleury is on an expiring contract and provides the least upside of the three options. That being said, his cap hit is also small and he already expressed no interest in being traded last year after GM Bill Guerin said the veteran would be “calling the shots” on future trades. Fleury appears to be off the table.
Far more likely would be a trade for Filip Gustavsson. Gustavsson is a relatively cheap asset, making just $3.75 million a year. To add fuel to that fire, Gustavsson has also long been the subject of trade rumors since the offseason began. At first glance, it may appear this is an easy solution. The Wild should see if they can get a valuable asset for an uncertainty in Gustavsson, right? The answer may not be so simple.
Trading Gustavsson Will Prove More Difficult Than Anticipated
With the draft and early days of free agency in the rearview mirror, many teams have already solidified their goaltending situation. Teams that could have been perfect trading partners for the Minnesota Wild goalies now no longer have the need. For example, at one point the Toronto Maple Leafs may have been a good match. They have scoring depth and a young and promising (but frustrated) asset in Nicholas Robertson. Details would have to be worked out but there’s the start of a deal in that situation. Now, the Leafs have signed Anthony Stolarz to form a tandem with Joseph Woll and would no longer covet Gustavsson’s services.
In this way, many franchises have already completed significant work to solidify their nets. Any team acquiring Gustavsson would likely want the ability to give him significant playing time to see if he can regain his form from the 2022-2023 season. A trade for Gustavsson will continue to be talked about, but it may have difficulty materializing. After analyzing the situation, a trade involving Gustavsson may not even be in the Wild’s best interest at all.
Standing Pat
After not moving Gustavsson at the draft or shortly after the opening of free agency, it’s clear the best option is for the Minnesota Wild goalies to stand pat. If Gustavsson manages to return to form this year or in the near future, that decision could haunt Minnesota. Many goalies around the NHL don’t solidify their place as consistent players until their late 20s or early 30s.
On the subject of youth, the same point can be made for Jesper Wallstedt. Wallstedt is just 21-years-old. What happens if he is not ready to make the jump to taking significant starts for the team? They would be left with a young goalie who isn’t ready, and Marc-André Fleury, a goaltender who is no longer equipped to handle a large number of starts. This scenario is not difficult to imagine and would be disastrous for the team’s season. Gustavsson seems like an expandable asset because of Minnesota’s cap space nightmare. But goaltending is not the area to take away from in such a tenuous circumstance.
Instead, the Wild could opt for a trio of goaltenders that would give each player an opportunity to succeed. Gustavsson would get a second chance in Minnesota while Wallstedt was given the opportunity to make his case as the Wild’s future starter. All of this would happen while Fleury stayed with the team to mentor the two young goalies. If Wallstedt is clearly ready to take over the team, The Wild could always explore trades at the deadline. For now, however, the Minnesota Wild are probably best off seeing what they have in a fascinating trio of netminders.
Main Photo: Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports
