Wild Re-Sign Filip Gustavsson to Three-Year Contract

The Minnesota Wild finished July by avoiding an arbitration hearing and signing goaltender Filip Gustavsson to a three-year contract worth $3.75 million per year.

Gustavsson, 25, is now signed through the 2025-26 season after a breakout NHL campaign this past season. In the final season of a two-year deal with a $787,500 cap hit he signed with the Ottawa Senators, the Sens sent him to Minnesota for goaltender Cam Talbot. Gustavsson appeared in 39 games for the Wild, posting a 22-9-7 record.

The Skelleftea, Sweden, native's .931 save percentage and 2.10 goals-against average both ranked second in the NHL among goaltenders who played at least 30 games, trailing only the Vezina Trophy winner, Linus Ullmark.

While the Wild's Marc-Andre Fleury played 46 games in 2022-23, 31 of those appearances came before the all-star break. He had a .908 save percentage and 2.85 GAA for the season. After the break, Gustavsson played 20 contests to Fleury's 15.

Heading into the playoffs, Gustavsson started Game 1 and recorded 51 saves, the most in the Wild's playoff history. Minnesota won 3-2 in overtime, but coach Dean Evason gave the net to Fleury in Game 2, in which he allowed seven goals on 31 shots and lost. Gustavsson started in net for the remainder of the six-game series, helping the Wild retake the series lead before losing three straight to exit the post-season. At the end of the round, Gustavsson had a 2.33 goals-against average and .921 save percentage.

It's a well-deserved contract for Gustavsson, a highly regarded goaltending prospect when the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted him 55th overall in 2016. Pittsburgh traded him to the Senators in 2018, and he played his first full season in the AHL with the Belleville Senators in 2018-19. The 6-foot-3 netminder struggled to excel in the AHL, but he showed signs of promise in nine NHL games in 2020-21, winning five of seven starts and recording a .933 save percentage. He couldn't follow it up in 2021-22, with a 3.55 GAA and .892 save percentage in 18 games. That led to the Sens swapping him for Cam Talbot as they looked for more proven NHL experience in a push for the playoffs, which didn't work, either.

As for the Wild, they're reuniting the Gustavsson-Fleury tandem in net this season as they look to make the playoffs and get past the first round for the first time since 2014-15. Both goalies will have to hold the fort, as the Wild only have about $1.6 million in cap space with 20 signed players on their roster and $14.7 million going to buyouts for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, per PuckPedia.

Gustavsson will look to take over as the permanent starter throughout this three-year deal so he can cash in on his next contract as a 28-year-old eligible for UFA status.