Filip Gustavsson vs Marc-Andre Fleury: Who will start for Minnesota Wild next season?

By ADITYA KAR

Modified Aug 02, 2023 18:13 GMT

Filip Gustavsson has now signed a three-year contract worth 11.25 million dollars with the Minnesota Wild.

The question now is who will be the no. 1 for the Wild: Gustavsson or Marc-Andre Fleury?

Fleury has been the goaltender for the Wild since 2021. He has the pedigree to back it as he is a three-time Stanley Cup Champion, has won a Vezina trophy and the William M Jennings trophy.

He is a five-time All-Star and was in the 2010's All Decade First team. Last season, he had two shutouts, a 2.85 goal against average and a save percentage of 90.8%. Fleury had 45 starts with a record of 24-16-4.

Last season, Filip Gustavsson made 37 starts last season, going 22-9-7 with three shutouts, a 2.10 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage. He has the third-longest shutout run in team history, lasting 177 minutes, 13 seconds across four games from February 28 to March 12.

For now, Filip Gustavsson looks to be the future while Fleury is the present.

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Filip Gustavsson signs a new contract with the Minnesota Wild

Filip Gustavsson, a goalkeeper with the Minnesota Wild, committed to a three-year, $11.25 million deal on Monday that runs through the 2025–26 campaign.

After taking into consideration Gustavsson's $3.75 million average yearly value, the Wild have very little money left on their salary limit. But, general manager Bill Guerin stated he anticipates the 25-year-old to contend with seasoned veteran Marc-Andre Fleury for the starting position this season.

"Having a good goalie is a luxury, and we've got three of them, so we're very happy about that," said Guerin. "I think three years at the age that Gus is, it gives him a nice runway to really prove what he can be, and if he can continue to get better and build on the season that he had last year, then at 27 or 28 years old he's going to be looking at an even better deal down the road."

Jesper Wallstedt, a key prospect for the Wild, is standing by in the AHL.

Gustavsson, a Swedish player, was traded to Ottawa for goalkeeper, Cam Talbot a year ago. He has a record of 2-3 in five postseason starts, including a 51-save effort in a victory against Dallas in double overtime in Game 1 of the first-round series.

Following the trade, Filip Gustavsson said:

"I'm really happy to have 3 years instead of just having 1 year and having all the pressure on my shoulders again to really perform for this year to get another contract."