After spending the first five-plus years of his North American hockey career stuck in the Ottawa Senators’ minor league system, Filip Gustavsson admits that the idea of returning to his native Sweden and finishing out his playing days back home was a consideration.
A trade to Minnesota in the summer of 2022, and the chance to split the puck-stopping duties with future Hall-of-Famer Marc-Andre Fleury, changed the trajectory of Gustavsson’s career. He enters this season with a firm hold on the No. 1 spot and five-year $34 million contract extension.
Meeting with the media on Monday, following the Wild’s practice at TRIA Rink, Gustavsson, 27, said learning Fleury’s light-hearted approach to the game, and his pesky habit of keeping the puck out of the net, was a game-changer in terms of dealing with the pressures of the NHL spotlight.
“Fleury had such a good mindset … with how much he just thought of it as a game and not as a job,” Gustavsson said. “He helped me really see it for what it was. Sometimes I felt it was hard and it was tough as a job, and (he) wanted to put your skates on every day and just have fun out there.”
After starting as Fleury’s backup in 2022-23, Gustavsson gradually took the top job, appearing in 58 of 82 regular season games in 2024-25 and backed up this season by prospect Jesper Wallstedt. With his potential free agency approaching next summer, the Wild made Gustavsson’s contract their next priority after signing Kirill Kaprizov to the richest contract in NHL history.
“Knowing that Gus wants to stay here is great for us,” said Wild general manager Bill Guerin, revealing that the extension came together after just a few days of discussion. “It’s just something that seemed like a no-brainer, and we’re just really happy.”
Gustavsson, who is from a hockey family, played extensively in his native Sweden before being picked by Guerin, then with the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft. Guerin made it clear on Monday that he was not involved in the Penguins’ decision to trade Gustavsson to Ottawa less than two years later.
In Sweden, Gustavsson signed his first pro contract as a teenager, making the equivalent of around $20,000 per season. He said that signing the extension that will pay just under $7 million per season brought back a familiar feeling.
“The hockey career feels short, but it’s the same butterflies in the stomach every time you sign a contract,” he said. “I remember going to the room in Sweden with the GM and signing and I thought that I was the coolest guy in school. It’s the same thing now. It’s so cool, and I’m so grateful just to play hockey for a living.”
In addition to wearing red and green in Minnesota, Gustavsson still puts on the blue and gold of his nation and was Team Sweden’s top goalie for the 4 Nations Face-Off last season. He is solidly in the mix to be the first option in goal for Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy come February.
And having learned under Fleury, he is now embracing the role of mentor for fellow Swede Wallstedt, who got two NHL starts last season while the Wild dealt with injuries.
“I think we have some potential to be a top five goalie tandem in the league together,” Gustavsson said. “He’s had a few games now under his belt and he’s going to grow and be very good.”
Gustavsson is expected to start Thursday in St. Louis when the Wild open the regular season versus the Blues. It was at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis last season on Oct. 15 that Gustavsson fired a puck end to end into an empty Blues net, sealing a 4-1 win and becoming the first goalie in Wild history to score a goal.
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