Bill Guerin is on a roll. After wrapping up a new contract for his biggest pending unrestricted free agent in Kirill Kaprizov, he wasted little time in securing a new contract for another key piece to the future of the Minnesota Wild, Filip Gustavsson. In a somewhat surprising bit of news, the Wild have agreed to a five-year extension worth $34 million for their number one goaltender. The deal kicks in next season and will carry a $6.8 million average annual value.
With the signing, the Wild have locked in Gustavsson at a reasonable cap hit for the next six season, and seemingly settles the question of who will be their top puckstepper as they enter their Stanley Cup contending window. Once thought to be a stop-gap solution until Jesper Wallstedt was ready for a full-time role, the 27-year-old Gustavsson has sandwiched two strong seasons around a rough 2023-24 to earn the extension.
With the Wild riddled with injuries last season, Gustavsson was a rock in the net. He picked up 31 wins while posting a .914 SV% and 2.73 GAA. His five shutouts were tied for third in the league last season. In his career with the Wild he has a 73-46-17 record in 142 games with a .914 SV% and 2.59 GAA. Oh yeah, he scored a goal last season as well.
Now that he’s under contract, the Wild have contract security for all of their core players heading into next season. That will allow Guerin to plot out bridge deals and extensions for some of the prospects like Liam Ohgren and Zeev Buium that are currently on their bargain-level entry-level contracts. Even with the big raises for Kaprizov and Gustavsson kicking in next season, the Wild have just over $16 million in cap space next season with 17 players under contract.
With his current three-year deal set to expire next summer, Gustavsson had been set to be one of the top free agent netminders on the market. He chose security and familiarity over the possibility of a slightly larger pay day. Finishing the deal prior to the season starts also allows him to focus on his play without having to worry about contract negotiations.
The Athletic is reporting that a no-trade clause was added to his current contract. The new contract will also carry a NTC through the 2027-28 season before turning into a 15-team no-trade clause. In short, expect Gustavsson to stick around for awhile.
Of course, that raises questions of what the Wild will do with Wallstedt, one of the top young goaltenders in the league. The 22-year-old is set to be the full-time back-up this season, but has made it known that his goal is to be a starter in the league at some point. With Gustavsson set to be the top guy for at least three more seasons, that should lead to plenty of trade talk in the near future.