Jesper Wallstedt is exactly the kind of goaltender you keep and build around, not the kind you move for a short-term fix, and the Minnesota Wild are in a rare position where having two legitimate starters could be the backbone of a deep playoff run.
The Minnesota Wild didn’t draft Wallstedt to be a trade chip; they drafted him to be the guy in net for a long time. From the moment the organization called his name, the plan has been clear: develop him carefully, let him marinate, and then hand him the crease when he’s ready to be the primary goalie.
Marc-Andre Fleury’s retirement created an opportunity for Wallstedt, and he hasn’t tiptoed through it. He’s walked in and looked like he belongs. Wallstedt has posted stretches where he’s nearly unbeatable, stacking wins with a goals against average around 2.00 and a save percentage in the .930 range. Those are numbers you usually see from established stars, not 23-year-olds who are still adjusting to the league.
What makes him even more intriguing is how solid his game looks. Wallstedt isn’t scrambling around or surviving on wild desperation saves. He’s calm, compact, and in control, reading plays early and making hard stops look easy.
That’s the kind of goalie teams spend years trying to find, sometimes throwing big money at free agents and still hoping it works out. The Wild already have that profile in-house, on the right side of his prime, and under team control. Moving on from a goalie like that should be a last resort, or considered only if a team is throwing the farm at the Wild by making an offer they can’t refuse.
However, Wallstedt would bring a serious return, so that’s part of why his name even comes up in trade talks. Young, cost-controlled goalies who already look like long-term starters are rarely available. So, if Minnesota puts him on the table, the offers would be real. You’re not talking about a fringe top-six winger or a lottery ticket prospect; you’re talking about the kind of deal where another team dangles a true impact skater to get him.
But that’s where the math gets tricky. Trading Wallstedt might fix one problem, while creating another, even bigger one. The Wild have spent years trying to line up an elite goalie with their core of skaters. If they finally have that in Wallstedt and decide to flip him for a forward, they’re right back to hoping the next solution magically falls into place at the perfect time. That’s a big gamble in a league where one bad week of goaltending can sink an otherwise good team.
The argument for keeping him gets even stronger when you think about what having two high-end goaltenders can do for this team in the playoffs. The NHL postseason is a grind: travel, physical series, momentum swings, and injuries all stack up. Being able to run with a tandem of Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson means the Wild don’t have to ride one guy into the ground. They can manage workloads down the stretch, lean into whoever is dialed in at any given moment, and not panic if one of them hits a rough patch or gets banged up.
Most teams hit the playoffs hoping their starter stays upright and on his game for two straight months. Minnesota has a unique chance to go in with two goalies that they genuinely trust. That changes the way a series feels. If Game 2 is rough, they have a second legit option. If you’re in a back-to-back situation or a long overtime, fatigue isn’t as big a concern.
You’re not turning to just a backup and crossing your fingers; you’re putting in another starter. There’s also the bigger-picture roster piece. The Wild’s core is still relatively young and under contract, and they’ve built an identity around structure, depth, and internal development.
Wallstedt fits that perfectly. If his presence gives them stability in net at a manageable cost, it frees up cap space and assets to address other needs, like adding that extra scoring punch or a center to help down the middle. Trading him for help now might make the team a bit flashier up front, but it also risks leaving them exposed at the most unforgiving position in the sport. Jesper Wallstedt could probably bring back a sizable package, and that will always be tempting when a player’s value is sky-high.
But when you balance that against the chance to go into every spring with two legitimate starters and a homegrown goalie who looks like he can anchor the franchise for a decade, keeping him starts to look a lot more important than whatever bundle of picks and players he might fetch. For a team that wants multiple cracks at a deep run, not just one all in swing, Jesper Wallstedt is the kind of player you hold onto and build around.