Article: Will Jesper Wallstedt Be Ready To Replace Filip Gustavsson In 2026-27?

[Kalisha Turnipseed]

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[Protec]

Let's not get the cart ahead of the horse. If Fleury retires, we want to extend Gus. Wallstedt is still where Gus was in Ottawa, an unknown, unproven talent. 

Wally has to earn it. You try to retain your top guy. That's priority one til something goes sideways. Keeping an early Vezina candidate like Gus is more reliable if he continues to prove it. Wally is a young NHL player. Gotta work your way up. Gus may be too expensive sure, so there could be that problem. 

There's some stuff to think about for sure, but no need to jump way ahead. 

Edited December 17, 2024 by Protec

[MNCountryLife]

$7.5M AAV seems a bit high for a solid keeper.  Gus sure has been solid though.  The Wall did ok on Sunday but he looked a bit more iffy than Gus.  I like Gus a lot at $6M... not so much at $7M.  Balance is a must. Overpaying for a player always hurts the team.

[Up North Guy]

Whatever the price they agree to with Gus, please let there be no movement clauses. We have enough of those.

[Sam]

I would have to disagree with Protec here and say “put the cart in front of the dang horse!” I started paying attention to the Wild about 4 years ago around when we drafted The Wall, and all I can remember is all the hype about how good he is. I recall reading articles about how he’s supposed to be our “franchise goaltender” or whatever. I know he’s had a tough go in Iowa, but letting him toil and struggle there can’t be good for his mental wellbeing. I say bring him over here. 

[Protec]

It's a gamble either way. There are many highly touted goaltenders who have fizzled at the NHL level. Some have come in right away and become a 1A netminder but there are many examples like Carter Hart, Spencer Knight, and even Gus who were inconsistent or who required time to mature. 

I think you wanna retain Gus, he's earned that next deal. Especially if he keeps it up all season. Wallstedt, if he's such a great talent and future NHL great should prove that. 

There are very few Fleurys or Demkos who show up and lock down a 1A spot in their first year or two. That's my main point. Should a wise GM put all eggs in one young goalie basket? My gut tells me GMBG won't do that. 

[1Brotherbill]

1 hour ago, Up North Guy said:

Whatever the price they agree to with Gus, please let there be no movement clauses. We have enough of those.

He will get a few years of that regardless.  If they sign him for anything more than two years he will get NMC on the contract.  Pretty much everyone over 30 gets NMC on the contract especially if they are considered long term which is what he would be. 

[1Brotherbill]

Fluery put a monkey wrench in this entire system.  I love him and will be sad to see him go.  However, if he didn't extend on year we would have Gus and Jesper on the team right now.  Hlavaj would be in Iowa as the third.  A young group of goalies for sure but a clear line of succession.  Now we have a chaos of who is going to stop the puck.  I still think Gus and Jesper should be on the team next year and play out the end of Gus's contract don't sign him until late in the season or at the end of the season.  Reason being is that one year after you extend Gus you have to decided on what to do with Jesper.  I would hate to look back on making a move early and wondering why we pay 7 million for someone who can't stop a beach ball and the guy we didn't sign is winning a cup with someone else.

[Lern2spell]

2 hours ago, 1Brotherbill said:

I still think Gus and Jesper should be on the team next year and play out the end of Gus's contract don't sign him until late in the season or at the end of the season.  Reason being is that one year after you extend Gus you have to decided on what to do with Jesper.

Waiting to re-sign Gus next year is a bit of a gamble, especially if he continues to play at a high level. Wait too long, and he may simply decide to test free agency. Being a UFA, he'll be looking for term, and being in the Vezina conversation 2 out of the 3 years while he is here, will lead to a hefty raise. Yes, a decent return at the trade deadline next year would help lessen the blow, but where would that leave the team about to make a run for the Cup if Wallstedt should falter?

[Need4speed99]

Holy sh*t! Well it's not like those THAT KNEW, there was alot of contracts  that took up the rest of the money... so this article actually says... you gave almost 14 mil in cap space but we have some VERY valuable guys up for contract. Where do all these crazy deals to overpay vets come into play. 

I'd the don't go far into the playoffs and billy invests in guys he should(to a degree) where does that leave them. So for all the guys sobbing on Billy's know, how does this team get better next year? 

[1Brotherbill]

1 hour ago, Lern2spell said:

Waiting to re-sign Gus next year is a bit of a gamble, especially if he continues to play at a high level. Wait too long, and he may simply decide to test free agency. Being a UFA, he'll be looking for term, and being in the Vezina conversation 2 out of the 3 years while he is here, will lead to a hefty raise. Yes, a decent return at the trade deadline next year would help lessen the blow, but where would that leave the team about to make a run for the Cup if Wallstedt should falter?

You could argue that paying Gus would mean that they won't sign anyone else to make a run at the Cup.  Wallstedt has shown that he is capable of being a number one goalie.  Way more than Gus did when he was coming here.  Same thing with Hlavaj.  I would let it rid.  I might be wrong.  If I am wrong we wouldn't be in a super bad place. 

[Lern2spell]

8 hours ago, 1Brotherbill said:

Wallstedt has shown that he is capable of being a number one goalie.

This is not true at all...nobody knows what kind of netminder he is, or could be, at the NHL level, and that is the biggest problem facing the future Wild goalie dilemma. The situation you allude to for next year should be happening now. Wallstedt should have been up with the big club to start the season and back up Gus, if only to see how he handles NHL play. GMBG bet that Gus was the goalie we saw last year, but it turns out he is closer to the goalie we saw from two seasons ago, and that body of work will be reflected in his next contract offer (be it from the Wild or someone else).Time is running out on making a decision wether to re-sign him, and the cost will go up if he continues to play at a high level. The Wild know what Gus can do. They know what Fleury can do. They need to see, this year, what they may have in Wallstedt. 

[Pewterschmidt]

1 minute ago, Lern2spell said:

GMBG bet that Gus was the goalie we saw last year, but it turns out he is closer to the goalie we saw from two seasons ago

or is he the goalie that Ottawa was willing to cut bait on?  He's under contract thru 25/26 season.  Let's see which GUS shows up next season before giving him another contract.

#don'tbedumbbill

[Citizen Strife]

The priority signing should be Kaprizov.  Get that locked up, then everything else trickles down from there.  If you can get Gus anywhere from $6-7m, you take it.  You have Spurgeon's contract and others coming off eventually.  If Gus asks for the $8.25m special, they probably have him leave and take their chances on Wallstedt.  Good goalies are a premium position yes, but are more prone to weirdness than anything else.  Now if it's a choice between, "We can't sign both Gus AND Rossi, I'd bite the bullet and trade Rossi and give Gus an extension.  I hope it doesn't come to that scenario though.  Where do they get a Top 6 winger or center from if they do that?  That ends up becoming a, "Well, Yurov better be that day fucking one."  So many weird dominoes that fall.

Gotta love all this "market restructuring" shit going on.  If the cap goes up and up and up, then it opens the door for everyone to wind up happy.

Edited December 18, 2024 by Citizen Strife

[Lern2spell]

3 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

He's under contract thru 25/26 season.  Let's see which GUS shows up next season before giving him another contract.

How about we see what Wallstedt can do in the NHL before giving him the net for a run at the Cup?

So many here believe the Wild can wait until the end of next season to make an offer to Gus. This is simply not true. He is about to become a UFA. There is a big difference between UFA and RFA.  If Gus continues to play well, and the Wild decide to re-sign him, they will need to make an offer by this time next year. If he accepts the offer, so be it. But if he doesnt, they will need to trade him at the deadline.

The Wild only have the rest of this year, and the first part of next season, to see if Wallstedt is a true #1 or not. Someone on here alluded to the firestorm that would erupt if the Wild re-signed Gus, let go of Wallstedt, and Wallstedt went on to win a cup with someone else...But imagine the blowback if they don't re-sign Gus, he goes on to win a cup in the next few years, and Wallstedt is the next Kaapo Kahkkonen? And that is simply my point, nobody knows what Wallstedt will be at the NHL level. 

Don't get me wrong... I am pulling for both Gus and Wallstedt to be good NHL players, and hope the Wild can figure this out and we have a nice goalie tandem for the foreseeable future, it's just that circumstances are getting in the way of that, and time is running out to make it happen.

[OldDutchChip]

i think you trade Gus and sign MAF and John Gibson as your 1a and 1b 

both 4X4

who says no?

in seriousness - all these crazy goalie contracts are not going to be good. i think you put a 5/6mm at him and if he wants 8 then you let him walk

hold on to the money to see what materializes with Kap and how trade line or next year free agency goes - you cannot afford to tie your money into something that limit your option on Kap. 

[Citizen Strife]

I agreed with ODC.  I think the sky is falling.  lol

[OldDutchChip]

23 minutes ago, Citizen Strife said:

I agreed with ODC.  I think the sky is falling.  lol

hahaha touche 🍻

[Sam]

What if the Vaj wins the Vezina?

#Vajina

Edited December 18, 2024 by Sam

[Pewterschmidt]

5 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

If you can get Gus anywhere from $6-7m, you take it.

Thank god you're not the GM

[Citizen Strife]

Maybe, but am also smart enough to know Gus sees the spike and will want in.  No way he takes under $6m unless he stinks next season.

[mnfaninnc]

23 hours ago, Up North Guy said:

Whatever the price they agree to with Gus, please let there be no movement clauses. We have enough of those.

I'm sure it's an oversight, but this sounds like you're in favor of an NMC, even though I think you're not.

[mnfaninnc]

There's no way we're paying $7m for Goose. And, let's be honest, based on past history, his stats say he's an every other year goalie. He's been wonderful this year, and wonderful 2 years ago, and pretty good 2 years before that. You have to wait and see what comes of next season. You could determine it by January. 

Let's also take a little look at Goose. He was unwanted in Ottawa. He thought that he was headed back to Sweden after that contract ended. He was wanted here and performed well with a few tweaks. He also has seen what a solid defense in front of him means, and what one doesn't means. His experience in Ottawa was terrible, his experience last season wasn't good either as our D corps wilted. But it still remains, he was wanted here.

Goose thinks like a Swede. In this case that's good for us. He's playing with several of his countrymen on this team. He seems to like it here and like his teammates. I believe he will give a considerable home town discount to stay and be a part. He saw Ek do it and he saw Boldy do it. Swedes also don't stress over contracts like NA players do. I am betting he'll be in the $5m area, and he will appreciate the guys in front of him. Honestly, I think he and The Wall will make a great tandem. 

If this isn't right and he's looking for more, I believe Shooter will have to trade him. He's not in the same league as the guys who got $8.25m. Much of what he's had to do is make the 1st save and his structured team captures the rebound. He knows this. Even if he made $8.25m for 5 years on a Blackhawks team, would he really have the same success? He knows he wouldn't. Same thing with Edmonton. 

$5m is not a low ball offer either. It costs money to have the type of D corps we have. He knows that, and he'll be paid plenty. I don't mind extending him for a price like that, and I don't mind giving him an NMC in this neighborhood. At some point, The Wall will be making similar, and with the cap at that time being somewhere around $100m, I think $10m on the goalie tandem isn't bad value. If Goose and The Wall are evenly splitting the work, that will make both of them more successful. 

[mnfaninnc]

If I'm wrong about the above and we trade Goose off, there are plenty of experienced goalies we can get in the $3m neighborhood. My eye would be on MacKenzie Blackwood. We'll see how well he does for the Avs, but he could also use a nice defense ahead of him. 

Mrazyk is another possibility. We can get a vet to play 1B if needed. I do believe that The Wall will be special. 

After we played Philly, I had to investigate Carter Hart. His trial is supposed to be in April and all 5 are on trial together. I believe Hart is pleading not guilty and only he and the group knows if he had anything to do with it. But, should Hart be not guilty, that would be a talented, low budget choice. Philly did not renew his contract. 

[Up North Guy]

16 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

I'm sure it's an oversight, but this sounds like you're in favor of an NMC, even though I think you're not.

I misspoke. I do not want any NTC/NMC on this contract. Goalies are squirrelly and can fall off a cliff at any time.