The Minnesota Wild have now played 17 games with a record of 11-3-3. There have been quite a few players who have been difference-makers so far this season. Kirill Kaprizov has been on fire, and everyone has noticed, while Matt Boldy, Mats Zuccarello, and Marco Rossi are right behind him. The Wild have found ways to score goals this season, they’ve also found a way to stop them.
Thanks to their systems, their defense improved significantly over last season. However, when it struggled, one more line of defense stepped up big: their goaltender, Filip Gustavsson. He’s been discussed quite a bit already this season, but for good reason, and we’ll take a look at why in this article, starting with his rise to number one.
Gustavsson Earns Number One Rank
Gustavsson started this season with something to prove and redeem himself from a disappointing end to last season. He started off the first week strong, but most held their breath, waiting to see if this was the start of the season luck or the real deal. Over a month later, it’s clear Gustavsson is the real deal. He did his work during the offseason to become the goaltender worthy of the number one slot on the roster.
That’s not the only number one he’s earned recently. Following the Wild’s loss to the Dallas Stars, Gustavsson’s performance earned him a number-one spot in the NHL with a goals-against average of 2.08. He’s also tied for first in the league in save percentage with a .927. These are respectable numbers for a goaltender who has made remarkable saves this season.
He’s always shown the potential to be a strong goaltender, but after he struggled mentally last season to keep his head in games, many were unsure if he could fulfill that duty night in and night out. After his recent performance against the Stars, it’s easy to say he has what it takes; even if his team did lose, it wasn’t because of his play.
Gustavsson’s Mental Game
Something that has stood out immensely about Gustavsson’s game is his mental stability. Last season, if he was scored on, he struggled to get back on track, and often, more goals against would follow. This season, he has been able to shake off any goals against and continue to make big saves to keep his team in games. That exact scenario happened against the Stars. Despite his team’s struggle to find their game, he made save after save and gave them a prime opportunity to return.
While he’s found a way to stay present in games no matter the score, he’s also found a way to be more confident and aggressive. Some goaltenders like to stay in their net; they don’t venture out after loose pucks or attempt to make rinkwide passes to a waiting forward. Gustavsson used to be one of those goaltenders until this season. While better at handling his mental game, he also uses this newfound confidence.
Gustavsson will journey to the corners to grab loose pucks and send them up the ice. He’ll poke-check forwards who get too close to his net and try to stickhandle the puck away from opponents when necessary. He even took a shot at a goalie goal and made it for the first time in Wild history. Hopefully, his new confidence and aggressiveness will continue this season and in the future, as the Wild need it.
Gustavsson Belongs in Wild’s Future
Many wondered what Gustavsson’s fate would be last offseason after the Wild re-signed Marc-André Fleury and had Jesper Wallstedt waiting in the wings. At first, it appeared the Wild would attempt to trade him, but they decided to give him another chance. The Wild should be very happy he stuck around, whether it was because of a lack of interest for a trade or other factors.
He became a new goaltender in the offseason; while he already had the talent, it wasn’t clear if he’d be able to become the goaltender the Wild needed after his struggles. Regardless of how he did it, Gustavsson put in the work necessary to make himself the starting goaltender and more for the Wild. They needed him to make that step, especially with Fleury needing fewer games and Wallstedt not ready for a full workload.
With Gustavsson stepping up, the Wild and fans should feel better about their goaltending future. As long as he continues on this path and takes no big steps backward, the Wild will have their number-one goaltender next season while Wallstedt adjusts to the NHL. Wallstedt will likely get some time in the NHL this season, but nothing substantial unless an injury occurs. Fleury has partially mentored him, and now he’ll also have a strong Gustavsson to look up to.
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Again, as long as things continue at this pace, the Wild’s goaltending has a bright future. However, seeing how things play out will be interesting as Gustavsson’s contract ends after the 2025-26 season, and Wallstedt will be looking for an extension.
Wild Face Divison
The Wild are entering the part of their schedule where they will face several division rivals and have to get points against them. These are the “must-win” games because the Wild can’t make the postseason if they aren’t in the top three of their respective division. They’ll face the Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, and Nashville Predators in the next two weeks.
Hopefully, Gustavsson can stay at the top of his game and help his team win or, at the very least, score a point against each of these teams. The more points they get against division opponents, the more likely they’ll still be playing when the playoffs start and they’ll need the big saves from Gustavsson to get past these teams.
