The Minnesota Wild have entered an important future and it means a bit of anxiety for everyone on the team. Guerin stated at his end-of-season press conference that no player is untouchable as they look to capitalize on the momentum of their longest playoff run in a decade and it has led to plenty of speculation about goaltender Jesper Wallstedt.
Wallstedt spent the majority of his exit interview pleading his case to stay in Minnesota this offseason and with the Wild focused on bringing home a top center, there was a good chance those pleas would be ignored. But in a Tuesday notebook by Joe Smith and Michael Russo of The Athletic, Wallstedt’s circumstances have already changed even with the start of the offseason over a month away.
“It remains to be seen if a true No. 1 center becomes available, but with Filip Gustavson having offseason hip surgery, it just doesn’t seem logical to trade Wallstedt now. If the Wild don’t make a big splash this summer and Gustavsson returns next season healthy, though, you can bet Guerin would consider using Wallstedt as the cornerstone piece in another blockbuster, especially because he’ll need to be paid handsomely in 2027. After what they gave up for [Quinn Hughes] the Wild don’t have many attention-grabbing assets anymore. Wallstedt could be that guy.”
Jesper Wallstedt’s odds to stay with Wild increase with one month until free agency
The excerpt from The Athletic’s notebook does not guarantee that Wallstedt will be donning a Wild sweater when the 2026-27 season begins. But as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has suggested in the past few weeks, it does leave it more likely than not he could stick around through the summer.
The Wild are dreaming big to land a top-tier player this offseason but that player has to become available. Nico Hischier is one potential trade target as he attempts to negotiate a contract extension with the New Jersey Devils. But a lot of the other targets could wind up staying put including Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues, Vincent Trocheck of the New York Rangers and Hischier’s teammates – and Quinn’s brothers – Jack and Luke Hughes.
Of course if those players were to become available, the Wild would also need something significant in order to not waste their time. Wallstedt was impressive during his rookie season, going 18-9-6 with a .915 save percentage and 2.61 goals against average in 35 games (33 starts). He backed it up with a strong opening series against the Dallas Stars, posting a .924 save percentage and 14 goals allowed on 171 shots.
In addition, Minnesota has just two prospects in Scott Wheeler’s top 100 drafted prospect rankings over at The Athletic and Charlie Stramel and David Benak are even bigger unknowns as they’ve yet to play a game in the NHL. In addition, the Wild don’t have much for draft picks, trading their 2026 first-rounder for Hughes and sitting without a second-round pick in each of the next three drafts.
With so many teams desperate for goaltending, one with an available superstar could call the Wild in an attempt to get Wallstedt. Minnesota even tried to use Wallstedt along with fellow prospect Danila Yurov in an attempt to get Thomas at last year’s trade deadline. But there is some risk after it was learned that Gustavsson will undergo hip surgery.
Several goalies including Thatcher Demko of the Vancouver Canucks, Petr Mrazek of the Anaheim Ducks and former Vegas Golden Knights netminder Robin Lehner have had their careers interrupted. But others have come back to form with time including former Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen of the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmark.
Flipping the coin and hoping Gustavsson is ready to go for the season opener could be an unnecessary risk if the Wild trades Wallstedt. Then again, he could be the key to getting the player the Wild want.
This leads to an offseason where Wallstedt will be a necessary trade chip if an opportunity appears. But if it doesn’t or Gustavsson isn’t healthy, it could be a stark turn from how many expect Wallstedt’s offseason to turn out and another season with the Wild.
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