Article: Jesper Wallstedt Is Shutting Out the Doubters

[manbearpig]

11 hours ago, MNCountryLife said:

Zeev doesn't look as comfortable with Bogo as he did with Hunt.  That isn't a knock on Bogo either.  I thought he played pretty well

I wonder if he got a talking to maybe just play great defense, learn and then do your offensive stuff after he becomes better at defense.  Hes got plenty of time to score goals.

[Fezig]

After a horrendous first month of the season, the defense turned it around in November. I'm not saying both goalies didn't play incredibly well, but the defense does need an acknowledgement also.

[B1GKappa97]

17 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

I don't think that The Wall will end up commanding a giant raise after next season, so the numbers should be reasonable again. It's the next contract after that where we'll really have to pay him, and that's about when Guus' contract expires. 

It'll be interesting to see what happens with his next contract. He's an RFA so that obviously gives the team some leverage it didn't have with Gus, who would've been a UFA I believe, but also.. if he's playing better than Gus by that point, it'll be hard to tell him he needs to take less money...

[raithis]

21 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

This would be the wrong move. This is where the eye test comes in. If you watch The Wall, he is bigger in the net than Guus, he's got a better glove hand, and, probably the most important thing, his rebound control is much better. He also finds pucks and anticipates better than Guus. 

Guus works fine in this system, but he is really an average to above average goalie. Our defensive system really helps him out. The Wall, however, is an average goalie now with franchise goalie potential. You don't trade those guys out. I don't think that The Wall will end up commanding a giant raise after next season, so the numbers should be reasonable again. It's the next contract after that where we'll really have to pay him, and that's about when Guus' contract expires. 

At that point, or a year ahead of that, we should have Vaj ready to back up, or we go and get one.

I'm not advocating trading him.  I'm just saying that if a move is made in the near future, Gustavsson's clauses make it more likely that Wallstedt is the one that is moved.  I also don't think Guerin values goalies as much as he does other things, so I could see him viewing Wallstedt more as an asset to make the team better by trading him out than as an asset to team by keeping him here.

It would be a bad move unless we could get a young, emerging 1C that also has franchise potential out of it, but those players are about as available as goalies with franchise potential. It would take the right trade, and I'm not confident that that would ever be reality so it would be bad trade for the Wild in almost all cases.

[Beast]

I don’t know if I was one of the “doubters,” but I did say they couldn’t turn over more starts to him until he proved it wasn’t just a flash in the pan.  He wasn’t great in Iowa.

He shut me up.

[mnfaninnc]

On 11/24/2025 at 6:41 PM, Enforceror said:

Generally I agree however I think he has some work to do still on rebound control. A lot of shots (see vs. Winnipeg) that just bounced off of him. Our defenders really shined in that game otherwise the outcome could have been drastically different.

From what I saw, there were rebounds but they were deadened and kind of right in front of The Wall. He kicked one out to the side once, but it was well placed. 

[mnfaninnc]

On 11/25/2025 at 10:01 AM, B1GKappa97 said:

if he's playing better than Gus by that point, it'll be hard to tell him he needs to take less money...

and that's just part of the unfairness of being an RFA.

[mnfaninnc]

23 hours ago, raithis said:

I also don't think Guerin values goalies as much as he does other things, so I could see him viewing Wallstedt more as an asset to make the team better by trading him out than as an asset to team by keeping him here.

I disagree, I think Guerin does value goalies, but he has no idea how to scout them or pick them. I do think The Wall is safe mainly because Guerin drafted him pretty high, and had to give up an extra pick to get him. Guerin is convinced that The Wall has franchise goalie potential, and he built these new guys from the back to the front. It would make 0 sense to trade him out. 

Plus, I think he sees what I see with an untrained eye: Guus is an average goalie in a very goalie friendly system. The Wall hasn't been in a goalie friendly system in the pros yet. 

[MNCountryLife]

2 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I disagree, I think Guerin does value goalies, but he has no idea how to scout them or pick them. I do think The Wall is safe mainly because Guerin drafted him pretty high, and had to give up an extra pick to get him. Guerin is convinced that The Wall has franchise goalie potential, and he built these new guys from the back to the front. It would make 0 sense to trade him out. 

Plus, I think he sees what I see with an untrained eye: Guus is an average goalie in a very goalie friendly system. The Wall hasn't been in a goalie friendly system in the pros yet. 

I was trying to write that... you said it better.  🍻

[raithis]

19 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I disagree, I think Guerin does value goalies, but he has no idea how to scout them or pick them. I do think The Wall is safe mainly because Guerin drafted him pretty high, and had to give up an extra pick to get him. Guerin is convinced that The Wall has franchise goalie potential, and he built these new guys from the back to the front. It would make 0 sense to trade him out. 

Plus, I think he sees what I see with an untrained eye: Guus is an average goalie in a very goalie friendly system. The Wall hasn't been in a goalie friendly system in the pros yet. 

Fair counterpoint.

That said, I'm not sure what you mean by your last sentence.  Both Gustavsson and Wallstedt play on the same team in front of the same defenders.

I agree that Wallstedt has a higher ceiling and will likely* end up being better than Gustavsson and seems to have more ability to steal games, but they are both benefitting from the same system.

* Wallstedt already does a lot of things better, but it's probably premature to interpret his recent play as indicative over what the Wild would get out of him each season.

[Pablo]

11 hours ago, MNCountryLife said:

I was trying to write that... you said it better.  🍻

Yes! BG has stated straight up that he wants a fresh #1a or #1b between the pipes every game. Id bet on a 45/37 game split this season if both are healthy. 

[mnfaninnc]

21 hours ago, raithis said:

That said, I'm not sure what you mean by your last sentence.

To date, The Wall has yet to play in a system that is friendly to goalies. He's had bad defense for 3 straight A seasons, so we don't really know what he can do in a goalie friendly system for a whole season.