The Wild were only hours into their offseason when they regrouped at Xcel Energy Center on Friday for exit meetings, and already goaltender Filip Gustavsson was talking about redemption.
Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson wants to return; Brock Faber played despite fractured ribs
Defenseman Brock Faber was injured for the final two months, but played in all the team’s games, as did fellow rookie Marco Rossi.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
April 20, 2024 at 12:43AM
After finishing with the second-best goals-against average (GAA) and save percentage in the NHL a year ago, Gustavsson wasn’t nearly as steady in his second Wild season.
“Way more inconsistent than last year,” Gustavsson said. “Very frustrating because you can play so good sometimes, and then you have bad performances.”
But what Gustavsson’s situation looks like next season has become a question team brass will have to answer because of the emergence of prospect Jesper Wallstedt and the decision to re-sign Marc-Andre Fleury.
“I’m comfortable with our goalies the way it is now,” President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin said. “We’re going to have to talk about it, assess everything, really find out where everybody is. What’s the workload going to be like for Flower? What’s it going to be like for Gus? How many games do we need Wally to get, because he needs to get more than he got this year.
“So, all those things are going to kind of come into play. I just don’t have anything definite for you.”
Fleury signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal earlier in the week; Gustavsson secured a three-year contract for $11.25 million last July after his breakout season when he posted a 2.10 GAA and .931 save percentage; Wallstedt is on his entry-level deal.
The Wild could keep the Fleury-Gustavsson duo in place and let Wallstedt continue to develop, but he turned in two solid NHL starts in April. Plus, as Guerin pointed out, the organization feels it needs to give Wallstedt more opportunity. With Fleury returning for his final NHL season, extra games for Wallstedt could make Gustavsson the odd man out after he went 20-18-4 with a 3.06 GAA and .899 save percentage.
Asked if he expected to be back, Gustavsson said, “Yeah, we’ll see. There is always a business side to hockey, too. I like it here and would love to be back next year.”
Coach John Hynes met with Gustavsson Friday, and Hynes said that Gustavsson knows what he needs to get better at — “there’s a clear plan in place for him” — and either Hynes or goaltending coach Frederic Chabot will stay in communication with Gustavsson. The team feels fitness is key to his game, and getting in the “best shape” for training camp is one of Gustavsson’s offseason priorities, as is his mental approach.
“If the brain isn’t there,” he said, “you don’t perform at your highest level.”
Freshman feats
Brock Faber finished as one of the top rookies in the NHL despite not being healthy. The defenseman played with fractured ribs for two months but was one of only two players to skate in all 82 games; fellow rookie Marco Rossi was the other.
Faber averaged the sixth-most minutes in the NHL at 24:58, blocked the second-most shots on the Wild (150) and quarterbacked the power play. His 39 assists tied for first among rookies, and his 47 points tied for second behind Chicago’s Connor Bedard.
“I wouldn’t say I surprised myself,” said Faber, who doesn’t need surgery. “I don’t know if I was expecting to play on the power play, but I’m obviously very hard on myself and I know where my game should be and where I want to be. There were lots of ups and downs for me individually, and I have a lot more to give yet.
“But overall, individually, I’m not disappointed by the year.”
The NHL Calder Trophy race turned into two-player competition between Faber and Bedard. The Wild have only one finalist in team history, Kirill Kaprizov, and he won the award in 2021.
“There’s a lot of big names, a lot of great rookies,” Faber said, “and to be mentioned with them is obviously a huge honor. So, yeah, it would be awesome.”
On the mend
While most players will relax a bit in the offseason, Jared Spurgeon and Marcus Foligno have work to do. Both are recovering from surgery but expect to be ready for training camp in September.
Spurgeon had left hip surgery in February, followed by back surgery four weeks later. Those injuries limited the veteran defenseman and team captain to 16 games. Foligno’s season ended April 2 after 55 games with a procedure to repair a core muscle.
Foligno said his groin injury affected his power and physicality, and compared the surgery to a pickup truck getting a new suspension. Though he’s only able to take slow walks now, he is on track to begin skating by June.
“I feel really confident,” Foligno said. “I feel like [the injury is] behind me now. I can just focus on this offseason and have a really good offseason and come [back] in the best shape of my life.”
Spurgeon resumed skating about four weeks ago. The injuries caused his foot to go numb during games, and he wouldn’t regain feeling until a couple hours later.
“My first skate back, there was none of that. It was an awesome feeling,” he said. “With every day, stuff has been a thousand times better than it was before.”
International action
Some Wild players, as well as Hynes, plan to participate in the World Championships May 10-26 in the Czech Republic.
Hynes was named coach of the U.S. team Friday. Forward Mats Zuccarello (Norway) and Rossi (Austria) are expected to play, while Joel Eriksson Ek (Sweden) is considering it. Gustavsson (Sweden) is interested in playing if asked.
Matt Boldy (U.S.) said it would be “kind of cool” to participate, and he planned to discuss it with Guerin, a member of the advisory committee that will choose the American team. Faber will not pursue a spot on the U.S. roster.
Hynes said he is “excited and honored” to coach in high-stakes games despite missing the NHL playoffs.
“Even as a coach, it gives you an opportunity to test yourself,” Hynes said of participating in the world championships. “I want to coach in meaningful games and coach under pressure and try to get a team to win a championship.”
Zuccarello and Rossi also are expected to play for their nations later in the offseason, when the final qualifying tournaments for the 2026 Olympics are held Aug. 29-Sept. 1.
Front office moves expected
Guerin said mid-May is likely when he’ll announce front-office changes. The Wild didn’t appoint a new assistant general manager after Chris O’Hearn and the team mutually parted ways in December.
As for the coaches, Hynes said he hasn’t had discussions with staff yet. When the Wild hired Hynes after firing Dean Evason and assistant Bob Woods, the team promoted Patrick Dwyer to assistant from Iowa in the American Hockey League to work alongside Darby Hendrickson and Jason King.
“We have a great relationship, good working environment, guys worked hard,” Hynes said. “I thank them for everything we went through, and then we’ll move forward and see how everybody feels.”
Problems that might have led to a loss in the past are merely complications that the team is overcoming this season, as was true again Friday against Tampa Bay.
