ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson will have offseason surgery on his hip, putting his readiness for the beginning of training camp in question.
Wild general manager Bill Guerin said Monday the procedure would take place “as soon as possible” to repair damage from overall wear and tear, not in response to any specific injury that occurred during the playoffs.
Gustavsson slumped down the stretch of the regular season and was
benched for the start of the playoffs when rookie Jesper Wallstedt took over as the No. 1 goalie. Gustavsson made one postseason start, a 5-2 loss at Colorado in Game 2 of the second-round NHL playoff series. The Avalanche ousted the Wild in five games.
Gustavsson signed a five-year, $34 million contract extension last fall that will kick in with the 2026-27 season and carries a full no-trade clause for the first two years.
Gustavsson went 28-15-6 in 49 starts during the regular season with a 2.69 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage in his fourth year with the Wild. Wallstedt was 18-9-6 in 33 starts with a 2.61-goals against average and a .915 save percentage. They both had four shutouts.
During the playoffs, Wallstedt won five of 10 starts. He gave up three or fewer goals seven times and made 30-plus saves five times.
“I like our goaltending situation, to be quite honest with you,” Guerin said at his season-ending news conference. "Both of our goalies are No. 1 goalies, you know? The luxury of it is being able to put a fresh rested goalie in the net every night, and you know both guys are signed. They’re both very good. They work well in a tandem. They support each other. I’m very comfortable with where it is.”
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