Jesper Wallstedt’s sudden postseason emergence has transformed the Wild’s crease into a battleground, leaving former starter Filip Gustavsson questioning his role and long-term security in Minnesota.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Filip Gustavsson entered the season as the clear No. 1 goalie after signing a five-year, $34 million extension before the year began.
For much of the regular season, he justified it. He helped stabilize the Minnesota Wild after a rough start and played some of the best hockey of his career during stretches of the season.
Then the playoffs arrived.
By the final week of the regular season and into the postseason, Jesper Wallstedt had taken over the net.
And after Wallstedt backstopped the Wild through the first round and into the second-round matchup against the Colorado Avalanche, the organization suddenly finds itself facing a difficult question entering the offseason:
Who is truly the future in goal?
Gustavsson did not sound bitter during exit interviews. If anything, he sounded understanding of how things unfolded.
“Well, no, as you said, regular season was good,” Gustavsson said. “There a lot of playing time and felt like me personally, the team had a rougher start there and then, you know, got going there. And after the Olympics, it's kind of we got some bad takes.”
Gustavsson admitted it became difficult to regain rhythm late in the year.
“It’s more like just a bad rhythm,” Gustavsson said. “You get a few bounces and then you get a few more bad bounces and it just took too long for me to catch up with that and get back into being super comfortable back there, you know, show that calmness and and give that team that super confidence in me as a goalie back there.”
Wild head coach John Hynes eventually made the decision to ride the hotter hand.
Gustavsson understood why.
“Hynsey as a head coach, probably saw that, and, you know, Wally played very good this year, and, you know, played very good into coming into playoff too,” Gustavsson said. “Why would you switch then if the team is playing good with that goalie at the back end there?”
That answer may have been the most revealing quote of Minnesota’s exit interviews.
There was no frustration. No subtle shot at the coaching staff. No attempt to ignore reality.
The reality is Wallstedt may have changed the trajectory of the organization during this postseason run.
The 23-year-old goalie looked calm under pressure and embraced the spotlight throughout the playoffs.
“I love the big moments,” Wallstedt said. “I love the big games.”
Wallstedt also acknowledged he still has areas to improve.
“I think I can work on getting more consistent throughout the whole season,” Wallstedt said. “I think I've learned so much that I can bring into this offseason, but also bring to next year that are hopefully going to make me more consistent over all the regular-season games, but I also feel like I was in a good spot going into playoffs, but I played my best hockey when it matters.”
For years, Wallstedt was viewed as the future of the franchise. Now, after this playoff run, he no longer looks like just the future.
He looks ready for the present.
Still, neither goalie sounded interested in turning the situation into a controversy.
Both Gustavsson and Wallstedt repeatedly described their relationship as competitive but healthy.
“Me and Wally is huge competitors,” Gustavsson said. “We're fighting for the same spot.”
Wallstedt echoed that sentiment.
“I thought our competition was really good,” Wallstedt said. “I thought it made us both better.”
The Wild could attempt to move forward with a two-goalie system next season. Gustavsson even pointed to other teams around the league doing exactly that.
“You kind of need two goalies to be up there,” Gustavsson said. “You can't have a goalie just play every game back to back the whole time.”
But while a tandem can work on the ice, roster construction and salary cap realities can complicate things quickly.
The Wild now have a veteran goalie signed long term at $6.8 million annually and a younger goalie who may have proven he deserves a larger role after taking over during the most important games of the season.
That naturally leads to trade speculation surrounding Gustavsson. The veteran netminder did not shy away from that possibility either.
“If trade talks happen, it's another team that really wants you,” Gustavsson said. “If I play good enough, wherever I am, someone's gonna want to have me as a goalie.”
For now, the Wild have two goalies who believe they are capable of starting. That may sound like a luxury.
But after Minnesota’s playoff goalie shift, it also feels like one of the organization’s biggest offseason questions.
Playoff runs tend to clarify organizational belief. And fairly or unfairly, Wallstedt’s emergence in the postseason may have changed how the Wild view their future in net.
Now the question becomes whether Minnesota truly sees this as a long-term tandem or whether these playoffs marked the beginning of a changing of the guard.
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