Filip Gustavsson signed a five-year, $34 million contract with the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. It has an average annual value of $6.8 million and begins with the 2026-27 season.
The 27-year-old goalie was 31-19-6 with a 2.56 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and five shutouts in 58 games last season. His wins and shutouts were each a career high.
Gustavsson is entering the final season of a three-year contract he signed with Minnesota on July 31, 2023, and could have become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
“We have a chance to win here,” Gustavsson said Monday. “My family liked it here ever since we moved here, everyone’s taken care of us. Teammates, the core group is very good and very nice and very helpful. I just really liked it here. The game style and the style of game the team is playing is fitting my style very well.
“You know, a good chance if I’d gone to a different team and maybe their defensive situation doesn’t work well with the way I play the game. And why change something that works?”
Gustavsson also became the first goalie in Wild history and the 15th in NHL history to have been credited with a goal when he scored an empty-net goal in a 4-1 win against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 15, 2024.
Selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round (No. 55) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Gustavsson is 83-59-20 with a 2.67 GAA, .913 save percentage and 11 shutouts in 169 regular-season games (161 starts) for the Ottawa Senators and Wild. He is 4-6 with a 2.53 GAA and .917 save percentage in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
“It seemed like the time was right,” Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin said. “He’s got one year left on his current contract, he’s a UFA and we wanted to keep him. Knowing that ‘Gus’ wants to stay here is great for us and It’s something that seemed like a no-brainer.”
Earlier in the week, the Wild signed Kirill Kaprizov to an eight-year, $136 million contract ($17 million AAV) locking up the forward who could have become a UFA after the season.
Minnesota opens the regular season at the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; FDSNMW).
“I want to be a candidate for [the] Vezina [Trophy],” Gustavsson said. “I want to keep playing as good as I am and try and get votes there and prove myself in the League that way.
“I want to help the team to get back to the playoffs and do good there. That’s my goal.”
NHL.com independent correspondent Jessi Pierce contributed to this report
