It's quiet in Minnesota this weekend as the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs begin. This is his second time in the past 12 seasons that the Wild faithful find themselves without his team at home to sweat the intensity of his playoff series.
However, an early offseason will give them an even quicker start to paving the way for the start of the 2024-25 season. Last Wednesday, Bill Guerin began by signing future Hall of Fame goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to a one-year extension.
It wasn't a surprising move. Fleury told the media he would like to play another season, but only if it's in Minnesota. The relationship with Guerin was all but certain, but the reaction after the extension was fascinating. With two NHL-level goaltenders confirmed for next season, attention now turns to what the Wild will do with prized prospect Jesper Wohlstedt.
Last week, we predicted what Wallstedt's situation would be if Fleury were extended. It wouldn't be a bad thing for Walstedt to return to Iowa, considering the ups and downs of a goaltender's development. However, many in the Wild fan base wonder if Guerin will trade Filip Gustafsson this summer to make room for Wallstedt to team up with Fleury. Gustafsson repeated the same question in his outgoing media interview on Friday.
“Let's see. There's always a business side to hockey,” said the Swedish netminder. “I love it here and I would love to come back next year and make up for what happened this year. Let's see.”
It sounds like the goalkeeper knows there's a good chance he'll be on the move in the coming months.
But should he? Even in Gustafsson's down season, Fleury, not Gustafsson, finished the season near the bottom of the league in saves that exceeded expectations.
However, if the Wild think Wohlstedt is ready to make the jump to the NHL, the decision will likely be made. If that's what you believe, pairing the 21-year-old with the veteran presence of 'Flowers' might make the most sense, even if Fleury isn't the same goaltender at his age. It's no secret that Gustafsson has struggled to stay in shape during his pro career. Guerin and Wilde may prefer Wallstedt rather than Gustafsson to learn from Fleury's habits.
Let's assume Wilde does just that. They would likely trade Gustafsson this summer and make Wallstedt a full-time NHLer. How easy would it be to trade Gustafsson? Simply put, it's not easy. And it probably won't be one of the first moves of the summer. Patience may be the key.
To be honest, the Wild will sell Gustafsson cheap. Acquired in the summer of 2022 in a one-for-one deal with Cam Talbot, Gustafsson flourished in his first season in state hockey. Vezina's status as a Trophy finalist earned him a three-year contract last summer worth $3.75 million annually.
But the wheels fell off this season's “Gas Bus.” The 25-year-old struggled with consistency all year. Coupled with his self-assessed fitness issues, goalkeeper-starved teams will likely look elsewhere in the market to find a suitable netminder.
The goalie market will be hot. Many teams will be hoping to add a proven goaltender this summer to be in contention for a championship next year. The most obvious ones are the New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and Ottawa Senators. Depending on how the playoffs go, the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes and Los Angeles Kings could also throw their hats into the goalie ring.
Their timing is also good. If the team is willing to pay the asking price for Jacob Markstrom, Juuse Saros, and Linus Ullmark, they could get the top players on the market. All three players were on the verge of being traded at the deadline this season, so there's no doubt they'll be available again. John Gibson would likely complete the list of high-end goaltenders available.
Florida's Anthony Stolarz continues his upward trajectory from career backup to likely signing as a starter sometime this offseason. Any name on the list would be coveted by more teams than Gustafsson. So while the goalkeeper market will open quickly this summer, Gustafsson won't be joining them right away.
This is where patience is required. Gustafsson likely won't return much value in a trade. Still, if the Wild want to promote Wallsett next year, they'll have to find a suitor to take on the final two years of Gustafsson's $3.75 million cap hit. Gustafsson likely won't be one of the first chips to fall when the trade window reopens ahead of the NHL Draft. Instead, look for the Wild to call on a team that trades away one of the goaltenders mentioned above.
Look for the Nashville Predators to trade away Saros and promote future goaltender Yaroslav Askarov. Barry Trotz will likely look to pair a young netminder with an experienced backup. The same would be true if the Calgary Flames traded Vezina-talented goaltender Jacob Markstrom and handed the net to Dustin Wolfe.
There are just too many good options for a team that needs to upgrade in the crease to be a hot market for Gustafsson. The NHL is barely into the summer, and goaltender is likely the position with the most movement between teams.
Instead, the Wild will have to wait patiently until the secondary market opens in July after free agency begins. It's hard to do that because they don't want to switch with the goalie when the music stops. But that's the situation they might find themselves in.
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