Filip Gustavsson’s eventual return is supposed to be good news for the Wild. And in one sense, it is.
Minnesota would get back an established goaltender after a season spent leaning heavily on Jesper Wallstedt. But the timing of that comeback also opens a tougher roster question: does the Wild’s best path forward really involve keeping two premium goalies if that means leaving another need untouched?
Wallstedt has made the answer on his own side of the equation pretty clear. Minnesota should not be thinking about moving him.
Through the team’s first 20 games, he has started 17, leads the league with 12 wins, and owns a 1.93 goals-against average with a .925 save percentage. The Wild are 13-3-4, and while that record belongs to the whole group, Wallstedt has been a major reason it looks that way.
That doesn’t make Gustavsson disposable. It does, however, change how Minnesota should view its roster.
A healthy Gustavsson would give the Wild another proven option in net, and there’s obvious value in easing the burden on a young starter who has already taken on a heavy load. If Minnesota expects to make a deep postseason run, protecting Wallstedt matters.
Still, the safest move in goal is not always the smartest move for the roster as a whole.
Gustavsson has not played this season after offseason hip surgery. His next doctor’s appointment is reportedly set for November 17, which is the earliest possible checkpoint for clearance.
Even then, medical clearance would not mean he is instantly game-ready. For now, that return remains a possibility, not a finished deal.
That’s why Minnesota should at least be asking a bigger question: could Gustavsson be used to address a more urgent need somewhere else on the ice? The Wild’s recent projected lineup had Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Matt Boldy together, with Maxim Shabanov, Danila Yurov, and Yakov Trenin on the second line. That setup naturally raises the issue of whether another proven scorer would bring more value than a second high-end goalie.
That’s not the same as saying Minnesota is already shopping Gustavsson. It’s just the kind of roster calculation a team has to make when one position suddenly looks crowded and another could use help.
Of course, there’s no guarantee the trade market lines up neatly. Gustavsson would first have to prove he’s healthy and effective again.
Even then, any interested team would have its own needs, budget concerns, and opinions about his recovery. The Wild also can’t assume some club will hand over the exact forward they want in a simple one-for-one swap.
That points toward a more layered approach. Minnesota could move Gustavsson for assets and then use those assets in a separate move for offense.
Or the Wild could keep both goalies and try to reshape the skater group through other deals. Either way, the goal should be to improve the full roster, not force a goalie trade just because Wallstedt has played so well.
What Minnesota should not do is solve its roster puzzle by dealing the young goalie who helped create it. Wallstedt’s early run does not guarantee he’ll stay this good forever, but it has given the Wild a strong reason to treat him as a core piece rather than the easiest chip to cash in.
Gustavsson’s return should widen Minnesota’s options, not rush the team into a decision. First comes the health check.
Then comes the workload question. After that, the Wild can see what the market actually offers.
If moving Gustavsson leads to a real upgrade, that’s a conversation worth having.
In Other News...
Wild Fans Have A Quinn Hughes Situation Worth Watching
The Quinn Hughes conversation has become one of those slow-burn NHL storylines that keeps hanging over the market, and Bill Guerins latest comments only add to the sense that there is no reason to expect a quick resolution. The Wild general manager said there is no urgency in contract talks with Hughes, while making it clear the defenseman is taking his time to sort out his future.
For Minnesota, that kind of patience may be the only realistic approach, even as the rest of the league keeps churning around blue-line upgrades and trade speculation. Carolina is reportedly interested in Erik Karlsson if Pittsburgh makes him available, Toronto is still hunting for a top-four defenseman despite cap issues, and Erik Johnson has already voiced frustration with the growing number of players asking out before contracts run their course. Hughes now sits right in the middle of that broader uncertainty, and the next step in his decision will be worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Could Be Closer To Dylan Larkin Than This Trade Suggests
The 2017 Matt Duchene deal is the kind of trade template that can linger around the league for years, and it has obvious relevance for the Wild if the Detroit Red Wings ever decide to move Dylan Larkin. Colorado used a three-team structure to solve multiple problems at once, and that sort of setup is the cleanest way to navigate a star player with a 10-team no-trade list while also balancing salary concerns and getting the right return.
For Minnesota, the bigger question is whether the current standing of the team changes how much value its draft picks actually carry in a deal like that. A club sitting in a stronger position is not offering the same kind of lottery-ticket asset as one at the bottom of the standings, which can make the market for a player like Larkin more complicated than the headline suggests. The framework may be familiar, but the details are where this one could get interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Staal Return Suddenly Looks Much More Real For Carolina
Jordan Staals return suddenly looks much more real for Carolina after the veteran center was back on the ice in Finland, practicing as he works his way back from a calf injury. For a Hurricanes team that leans heavily on Staals presence down the middle, any sign that he is nearing a comeback carries real weight, especially with the season already producing its share of injury news across the league.
The wider picture around the NHL only adds to the sense of urgency, with Colorado dealing with lower-body injuries to Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, Winnipeg placing Dylan DeMelo on injured reserve, and Minnesota waiting on further evaluation for Brock Faber after a skull fracture. Against that backdrop, Carolina getting closer to having Staal available again would be a meaningful boost, even if the final step in his recovery still has to be cleared. [Read more 🡒]