Wild rumors: Minnesota doing a 180 on goaltending priorities this summer

It wasn’t so long ago that the Minnesota Wild were dangling rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt in trade talks in their quest to acquire a top-flight center.

But life comes at you fast, and after a strong Stanley Cup Playoff showing, it could be veteran Filip Gustavsson on the move instead, as reported by Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman.

Friedman said on the FAN Hockey Show earlier this week that he doesn’t believe the Wild will trade Wallstedt at this point, and instead, Gustavsson is the netminder in consideration to potentially get a change of scenery.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Joe Smith reported last week that Minnesota GM Bill Guerin made a pitch for St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline back in March.

The Wild dangled Wallstedt and forward Danila Yurov as part of a package, which Blues GM Doug Armstrong declined. Fast forward a couple of months, and Wallstedt looks like the bonafide No. 1 goaltender in the State of Hockey.

The young Swede put together a hugely respectable postseason, especially considering the Wild played two powerhouses in the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. He sported a 2.77 goals-against average and .909 save percentage, while Gustavsson barely saw the crease.

That has completely uprooted the goaltending hierarchy in Saint Paul, and things got even more interesting after the announcement that Gustavsson will undergo offseason hip surgery and might not be ready for the 2026-27 season.

The 27-year-old looked like the future in net for the Wild, and the front office gave him a five-year, $34 million contract extension back in October that kicks in next season.

Meanwhile, Wallstedt is making just $2.2 million in 2026-27 before becoming a restricted free agent. The way he played in the playoffs, and considering Gustavsson’s injury, it’s looking like the organization is indeed considering a full 180 between the pipes.

That being said, Gustavsson’s extension carries a no-movement clause in the first two seasons of the deal, and Guerin said at the Wild’s end-of-season presser that he has no interest in trading either netminder.

The tandem of Wallstedt and Gustavsson is a strong one, and the pair both represented Team Sweden at the Winter Olympics in Milan. But Gustavsson’s cap hit of $6.8 million could become a problem, especially as priority No. 1 for the organization is getting superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes locked up to a long-term extension.

In the quest to acquire a No. 1 center, retain Hughes’s services, and keep the Stanley Cup window open, it’ll be interesting to see if Guerin and the front office eventually decide to move on from one of their goalies.

The post Wild rumors: Minnesota doing a 180 on goaltending priorities this summer appeared first on ClutchPoints.