Wild goalies: Two won’t be a crowd

The NHL will expand its regular season schedule from 82 to 84 games starting in 2026-27, meaning each team will need its goaltenders for 120 more minutes.

With Colorado looking like a solid favorite to win the Stanley Cup after rotating goalies during its second-round series victory over the Wild last week, there is more and more evidence that the era of one puck-stopper playing every night for one team is long gone.

So, when asked about his future in Minnesota, Filip Gustavsson — who went from the team’s number one in the regular season to backing up rookie Jesper Wallstedt in the playoffs — said he sees a place for him in the Wild’s crease next season.

“I don’t think much has changed,” Wallstedt told reporters on Friday at Grand Casino Arena. “You know, me and Wally (are) huge competitors and we’re fighting for the same spot, the same as this year. We came out … fighting in practice, fighting for the ice time, and that’s what we’re going to do next year, too, to help this team moving forward with a good goalie squad.”

After signing a five-year contract extension at the start of the regular season, Gustavsson appeared in 50 games, winning 28 of them. But he had a handful of rough starts in March and April as the team geared up for the playoffs. Wallstedt, in his first full NHL season, played in 35 games and won 18 but when playoff time came, Wild coach John Hynes rode the rookie’s hot play into the second round.

Looking back, Gustavsson admitted, that after returning from the Olympics — where he played for Team Sweden — his game wasn’t where it needs to be.

“I wouldn’t say the game itself was bad for me, like technical-wise or anything like that had to change. It’s more like just a bad rhythm, you know?” he said. “You get a few bounces and then you get a few more bad bounces, and it just took too long for me to catch up with that and get back into being super comfortable back there, show that calmness and and give that team that super confidence in me.”

Gustavsson said Hynes’ decision to go with Wallstedt for 10 of the Wild’s 11 playoff games made sense.

“Hynsie, as a head coach, probably saw that, and Wally played very good this year; played very good coming into playoff, too,” he said. “Why would you switch, then, if the team is playing good with that goalie at the back end there?”