ST. PAUL, Minn. — With the availability of goaltenders virtually barren next offseason, the Minnesota Wild addressed another piece of critical business Saturday by signing No. 1 goaltender Filip Gustavsson to a contract extension.
The 27-year-old inked a five-year, $34 million contract with Minnesota ($6.8 million AAV) that will begin in 2026-27.
According to league sources, a no-move clause was added to his current contract and lasts until June 30, 2028. In the last three years of his new contract, Gustavsson’s no-move turns into a 15-team no-trade clause.
Look how far you’ve come, Gus Bus 🥹
More of this on season 7 of BOI » https://t.co/ZHSdkXSuAf#BeyondOurIce | @grandcasinoMN pic.twitter.com/TMTrx1RXeM
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) October 4, 2025
With the Kirill Kaprizov contract extension now settled and in the rearview mirror, the Wild approached Gustavsson’s camp in recent days and was able to quickly agree on the new deal. Gustavsson sat down with The Athletic at the NHL media tour in Milan, Italy, in August and said he was interested in signing an extension and had given his agent permission to do so once the Wild were ready to talk.
“For the past three years, I’ve enjoyed playing there,” Gustavsson said at the time. “My family loves living there, and it’s been great to me.”
Gustavsson is entering the final year of a three-year, $11.25 million contract that pays him $3 million in salary this season with a $3.75 million cap hit.
A very good deal for #1 pic.twitter.com/F5Yx9chmd4
— Benchrates (@benchrates) October 4, 2025
The going rate for starting goalies has skyrocketed over the past few years. Evolving Hockey projected Gustavsson to command $7.46 million AAV on a five-year contract. Recent goalie deals include Dustin Wolf ($7.5 million), Lukas Dostal ($6.5 million), Logan Thompson ($5.85 million), Spencer Knight ($5.8 million), Mackenzie Blackwood ($5.25 million), Joey Daccord ($5 million) and Karel Vejmelka ($4.75 million).
Gustavsson is 73-46-17 in three years with the Wild and has a 2.59 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and 11 shutouts. In the 2022-23 season, his first with Minnesota after acquiring him from the Ottawa Senators, Gustavsson finished with the second-best goals-against average (2.10) and save percentage (.931) in the NHL behind Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark.
He took a step back two years ago when the Wild missed the playoffs, going 20-18-4 with a 3.06 goals-against average and .899 save percentage, but while playing a career-high 58 games last season, he went 31-19-6 with a 2.56 goals-against average and .914 save percentage.
In his final preseason start Friday night during a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, Gustavsson made 15 of his 26 saves in the third period to preserve the Wild’s one-goal lead.
“He settled in and made some big saves for us,” coach John Hynes said after the game. “We gave up a couple odd-man rushes. He came up big. Penalty kill, he was good, and later, when they had that push on the six-on-five, he made some big stops for us.”
(Photo: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)
