Gustavsson Surgery Could Force Some of the Minnesota Wild’s Decisions

The Minnesota Wild have just begun their offseason, and while they dealt with some injuries throughout the season, they announced a big one during their end-of-season interviews with general manager Bill Guerin and head coach John Hynes. When asked if there were any other injuries the team had besides Joel Eriksson Ek, Jonas Brodin, and Zach Bogosian, the answer was yes. 

Of course, there are always players banged up at the end of a season, especially if that team makes it to the postseason. Guerin mentioned that Vladimir Tarasenko was one of the players who was injured, but the big news was that goaltender Filip Gustavsson will have hip surgery this offseason. With this news and how the season ended, in this article, we’re going to take a look at what this news could mean for the Wild. 

Wild’s Gustavsson Had Ups & Downs

The start to this past season for the Wild was difficult, and Filip Gustavsson was right in the thick of it. He started off on the right foot alongside his teammates with a big win over the St. Louis Blues in the Wild’s first game of the season. It looked like they were on the right track, only for the next game to go the opposite way on home ice. From that point on, the Wild had a decent season, as did Gustavsson. 

The team flipped the script in November, and Gustavsson was a key part. He was solid throughout the rest of the season. He did hit some bumps with the Olympics and the end of the season, but when looking at the paper, his season wasn’t horrible. However, the end of the season was the big problem that resulted in him watching from the bench as the postseason started. 

“Yeah, I mean, there’s always a bunch. I know Tarasenko was really banged up. Gustavsson’s going to have offseason surgery on his hip. That will be coming up as soon as possible. Those are the main ones,” said Guerin to the media during his end-of-season interview when asked about team injuries, and continued when asked what kind of injury it was, “It’s a wear and tear.” 

Wild’s Gustavsson Faces Surgery 

With the struggles Gustavsson had this season, especially later on, it makes sense to think this hip issue was a big part of the problem. Of course, there’s more to it than just the injury, but if Gustavsson was in pain, that would affect his performance, obviously. Now, depending on how long he was dealing with this injury, he probably should’ve turned the net over to Jesper Wallstedt sooner, but that’s easier said than done. It clearly was something they thought he could get through until the end of the season. 

Surgery is something you don’t want to hear when it comes to any player, but hip surgery for a goaltender should make anyone nervous. Of course, Gustavsson will be in the best hands possible, but depending on the surgery, that could mean a long recovery time, and hips are crucial for a goaltender to do their job well. 

The Wild already had some choices to make, but now they may have to find another goaltender. When Guerin was asked if Gustavsson would be ready for next season, his answer was “Uhh, don’t know. We’ll see post-surgery.” 

That answer means the Wild may have to make a decision. If Gustavsson has surgery soon, hopefully the Wild will know soon enough to find another goaltender to start the season if need be. Depending on the surgery, Gustavsson should still be with the team next season; he may just join them a little late. 

Wild Need to Make Choices 

Regardless of what happens with the surgery, it looks like the Wild have to do some goalie research just in case. The most logical answer would be internally, which would be the fill-in answer if Gustavsson has to miss the start of the season and they need a backup for Jesper Wallstedt. Cal Petersen, who was their third goaltender for this postseason, is an option and likely the main one, but they also have Samuel Hlavaj, who had a strong showing for Team Slovakia in the 2026 Olympics. 

However, the main issue with both of those goaltenders is that their contracts expire on Jun. 30 unless the Wild decides to extend them an offer. It’s hard to say if the Wild will want both of them back, one of them back, or neither. Hlavaj looks like a strong young option at 25 years old, and he played very well on the world stage, which hopefully would translate well to the NHL as well. 

Petersen is a bit older, but he does have experience in the NHL, even if it is fairly minimal, with just 106 games played. However, if he just needs to be a fill-in for a couple of weeks or a month, he would be a good option. Regardless of what way they decide to go with Petersen and Hlavaj, hopefully, they won’t need either one, and Gustavsson will heal well and be ready to go before the season starts.