Filip Gustavsson Can Alleviate Fears During Worlds

There’s been plenty of ink spilled about the Minnesota Wild and their three-goalie problem. Filip Gustavsson knows that he’s on the hot seat, and he has been taking the blame for his inconsistencies this past season. If he manages to stick with the Wild through the off-season, like many fans want, any work that he does this summer will help. And he’s already started his redemption campaign at the Men’s World Championship this weekend.

When Gustavsson returns to Sweden in the summer, he lives in a more remote area without access to an ice rink for a good chunk of the off-season. Could that have been part of his consistency problem last season? Who knows? But this off-season will go a little different. Instead of returning to his home, Gustavsson traveled to the Swedish National Team, where it appears he’s the starting goalie. Having an extra month of ice time could go a long way in filling in the gaps in his off-season training.

During the first game of Sweden versus the US, Gustavsson showed flashes of his old self. The Vezina-level self that played through two overtimes against the Dallas Stars during the last season and who shut out the Florida Panthers in this season’s home opener. Last season, Gustavsson’s overall save percentage was .899. Frankly, that’s unacceptable for an NHL goalie. But during the game against the USA, Gustavsson stopped 28 out of 30 shots, giving him a .933 save percentage. That's back to the .931 save percentage that he averaged during his 2022-23 amazing season.

This summer will also give Gustavsson some time to focus on the mental aspects of the game. In his exit interview after the Wild season ended, he acknowledged that he probably needed to see a sports psychologist this summer. Having several months off, playing with a different team, and getting a psychologist to help could change Gustavsson’s mindset regarding his time in the crease.

Unfortunately, it seems like he was stuck in a mental rut last season. Once he had one bad game, he wasn’t able to shake it. He was still trying his hardest physically. However, when his head was filled with thoughts about the last game he lost or how he gave up the softest shots, it was hard to climb out of it. Even more unfortunately, it was easier to continue digging down.

Gustavsson can also use this off-season to get more settled in his role as a father. His son was born shortly after returning to Sweden after the 2023 playoffs. Living with a newborn, especially a first kid, is completely different. Gustavsson seems like a guy who would want to be a hands-on dad. By the time his son was getting old enough to have a regular, reliable schedule, the family was returning to the United States, which probably threw the schedule off again. 

Some heartless fans think that hockey players should be robots, unaffected by family life while they’re at the rink. But that’s not how it works. These players are both professional athletes and normal human beings. Changing family dynamics can bleed over onto the ice, no matter how hard a player tries to stop it. Now that the baby will be turning one, Gustavsson might be feeling more comfortable with his little family and be able to have more of a separation between his personal life and his on-ice play.

No one will know for a while how the goalie situation will pan out. But everyone watching Sweden in the Worlds can see that Gustavsson is fighting for his chance to stay.