Goalies can be strange and so can their contract situations. Case in point, Jesper Wallstedt’s contract with the Minnesota Wild. Rarely would a skater sign a $4 million deal with only three games of NHL experience. However, when you are one of the best goaltender prospects in the game, you command that type of respect. Specifically, Wallstedt signs a two-year deal, with an average annual value of $2.2 million. Moreover, he is still under contract and waiver exempt for the 2024-25 season, on a deal paying him $925K. So, Minnesota has options and Wallstedt’s abilities are a big reason why.
INKED 🟢🔴
The @mnwild have signed Jesper Wallstedt to a two-year extension! pic.twitter.com/S4lMZWOEYp
— NHL (@NHL) October 7, 2024
Jesper Wallstedt’s Contract Sees Him Signed Through 2026-27
Studying Wallstedt’s personal accomplishments to this point of his young career it’s easy to see why his ceiling is so high. This is a goalie who appeared in the Swedish top-division playoffs at just 16. Since coming over to North America, he’s been quite effective with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. In the 2022-23 season, at just 20 years old, he posted a .908 save percentage. Furthermore, to back it up, he posted a .910 SV% in 45 games this past season. Needless to say, he should be ready for an NHL backup job when the opportunity so presents itself. If you go by his numbers and career trajectory to this point, he’s the man for the job.
What Does This Mean for the Minnesota Wild
Fortunately for the Wild, they currently have two more than competent people at the goaltending position. Filip Gustavsson has the starting job in Minnesota to start 2024-25. In addition, Marc-Andre Fleury, otherwise known as the Hall-of-Famer to be, is ‘Gussie’s’ backup. However, Fleury has made it known that 2024-25 will be his last season. Therefore, you’d think he’d be willing to sacrifice the net in favour of a young star’s development.
Main Photo Credit: Jerome Miron – USA TODAY Sports
