The largest remaining domino of the Minnesota Wild offseason has fallen. Minnesota has signed goaltender Filip Gustavsson. The team announced a multi-year deal Monday that keeps the former restricted free agent in Minnesota for the foreseeable future. Gustavsson’s new contract mean the two sides will avoid the arbitration hearing that was set for August 4.
With a total value of $11.25 million, Gustavsson received a nice pay bump. A cap hit of $3.75 million may seem a little rich to some, but the three year term may be worth the cost. The Wild are still navigating a nasty cap crunch for the next two seasons, so having a reliable goaltender under contract for the duration eases some tension. Gustavsson also fits Minnesota’s timeline well as he offers the perfect stop gap solution until highly touted prospect Jesper Wallstedt is ready to take the leap to the NHL. The deal also works well for Gustavsson. The contact is a significant pay raise from the $787,000 average of his previous deal. In addition, if Gustavsson continues to perform at the level he did last season, the goaltender could be in line for a monster contract from either the Wild or another team when this deal ends. The contract also contains a five team no trade list, designated by Gustavsson, in the final year.
The finalized deal came in a little higher than many anticipated. For that reason Minnesota’s cap squeeze has become more difficult to manage. With the contract finalized, the Wild will have a bit over $1.6 million in cap space remaining. Calen Addison, the teams only remaining free agent, isn’t projected to eat up much. However, even if Addison comes in at $787,000, Minnesota will not have a ton of room to maneuver. Carrying an extra forward or defenseman will take some major cap gymnastics from General Manager Bill Guerin and Assistant General Manager Chris O’Hearn.
Stay tuned for more NHL content, including trades, signings, and various updates.
Featured image courtesy Minnesota Wild via Twitter
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