Minnesota Wild Set to Begin Contract Talks With Goaltender

Filip Gustavsson was one of the Minnesota Wild's biggest surprises this season, and now he may become their long-term starting netminder because of it. While speaking with The Athletic's Michael Russo and Joe Smith, Wild GM Bill Guerin said that contract talks with the 24-year-old goaltender will begin "very, very soon." With that, he expects a new deal to be finalized. 

The Wild are in a difficult position when it comes to their cap space because of the Ryan Suter and Zach Parise buyout penalties. However, when noting that Gustavsson was simply fantastic in his first season with the Wild, it was made clear through his comments that Guerin is not considering moving on from him at all. 

Gustavsson appeared in 39 games for the Wild this season, where he put together a 22-9-7 record, .931 save percentage, and 2.10 goals-against average. It was a breakout year for him, and now he should land himself a nice contract because of it. We will need to wait and see if the Wild and Gustavsson can agree on a new contract shortly. 

photo credit:  Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports