Wild Ensure Future Of Their Crease With Gustavsson Extension

The Minnesota Wild have been slowly but surely handing out some noteworthy contract extensions this off-season.

In late August, the Wild re-signed young center Marco Rossi to a three-year, $15 million extension. Earlier this week, they locked up their superstar Kirill Kaprizov to a record-setting eight-year, $136-million contract, and on Saturday, Minnesota signed goalie Filip Gustavsson to a five-year extension that will pay him $6.8 million annually.

For the 27-year-old Gustavsson, the extension establishes that he is Minnesota’s No. 1 netminder for the foreseeable future. It’s true Gustavsson’s individual numbers haven’t always been great – he posted a .899 save percentage and 3.06 goals-against average in 45 games in 2023-24 – but last season was a particularly strong one, as he put up a .914 SP and 2.56 GAA in 58 appearances. 

Those are numbers much closer to his outstanding season in 2022-23, when he had a .931 SP and 2.10 GAA in 39 games. So he’s a safe bet to give Minnesota more than adequate netminding for the duration of the contract.

Gustavsson’s closest comparable in terms of his salary as a goalie is new Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson, who is earning $6.4 million. But be honest, who would you rather have between the pipes – Gustavsson or Gibson? For this writer, the choice is clear – it’s Gustavsson, 10 times out of 10.

In theory, at least, Gustavsson just signed away his prime years. Of course, the Wild want him to be successful, but Minnesota GM Bill Guerin has given Gustavsson market value for a starting goalie. Although Guerin gave Gustavsson a full no-movement clause in the first two years of his new contract, the no-move clause turns into a partial no-trade clause in the final three seasons. In other words, there’s a way to pull the chute on Gustavsson if things go sideways.

Does Gustavsson’s new contract change Minnesota’s window to win? Not really. This is a veteran-laden Wild team, and Gustavsson knows that the pressure is firmly on him and his teammates to find a way to rise above the rest of the highly competitive Central Division.

That was true before he signed the extension, and it will be true for the life of the extension. If Gustavsson generates numbers anywhere close to his career-highs, Minnesota is going to at least stay in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference.

Gustavsson’s backup is 22-year-old Jesper Wallstedt, who has only five games of NHL experience under his belt. Wallstedt may grow into someone worthy of cutting into Gustavsson’s playing time, but as it stands, Gustavsson is going to be ‘The Man’ for the Wild until further notice. Gustavsson has earned the investment Minnesota just made in him, and if the Wild are to experience Stanley Cup playoff success, Gustavsson will almost assuredly have to play a major role for them.

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