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A 2016 second-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Gustavsson spent the first two years of his NHL career in Ottawa before he was traded to Minnesota in 2022 for veteran goalie Cam Talbot. Gustavsson initially split the net with veteran Marc-Andre Fleury in Minnesota before taking the reins as the Wild’s starter.
Fleury retired this summer. Jesper Wallstedt, a 2021 first-round pick, is poised to be Gustavsson’s backup this season.
The extension means the Wild have locked down most of their core players under the age of 30 on multiyear deals, including Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek and Brock Faber. Minnesota also has several players on entry-level contracts who should be key contributors this season, like Liam Ohgren, David Jiricek and Zeev Buium.
Gustavsson’s contract also comes at what many NHL evaluators have called a thin time for the goaltending market.
Minnesota finished fourth in the Central Division last season, which once again is shaping up to be the most competitive in the NHL. The Wild are looking to rebound after last year’s first-round exit to the Vegas Golden Knights.
