Being Wrong About Filip Gustavsson

 

Back in October, right at the start of the 2022-2023 NHL season, I wrote about Filip Gustavsson, his joining the Wild, and whether or not there was going to be a possible back-up goalie controversy here in Minnesota (you can read it here).

 Well, I will admit I was completely wrong about a possible back-up goalie controversy here with the Wild. In my previous post, I did mention the plan was to have Jesper Wallstedt play in Iowa in tandem with Zane McIntyre to get acclimated to the North American rinks and give him at least one full season there.

Filip Gustavsson in net for the Minnesota Wild

Now…back to Gustavsson. Like I stated previously, I didn’t know much about him before this season with him having spent the past two years either with Ottawa or with their farm team and that my first real good look at him in net for the Wild came when he was in net for a preseason game against Chicago. I did get to see him play in person back on January 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning where he ended up leaving the game during the third period due to an illness (which Wild coach Dean Evason later stated that it was a stomach bug). Gustavsson ended up getting the win, having been the goaltender of record in the Wild’s 5-1 win that night.

Since then, I’ve been able to watch Gus in net for the Wild a lot more and all I can say is “WOW” with the way he has been playing in net as of late. He was just named the NHL’s Third Star of the week having won both of his starts against the Islanders on Feb. 28^th and shutting out Calgary on March 4. He went 2-0-0, with a 0.48 GAA, and .986 SV%. He stopped 70 out of 71 shots he faced and he recorded his second shutout of the season. He’s 16-4-2 since Nov. 19^th, posting a 1.68 GAA, .942 SV% and two shutouts, leading the NHL in GAA and SV% in that span. He has since recorded third shutout of the season on March 7 against Calgary, even though the Wild lost in a shootout.

Filip Gustavsson reaching out to make a save

  Gustavsson has played a huge role in the Wild’s    streak right now that has them in second place in    the Central division and two points behind Dallas    (83 points). Dallas currently leads the division        with a 35-17-13 record. 

   

 

 

In my previous post, I asked if there was a possible back-up goalie controversy and if Jesper Wallstedt might see any time in the NHL season. Well, there’s no back-up goalie controversy. The plan is for Wallstedt to “bake” down in Iowa. Gustavsson has been pretty hot as of late and has been playing “lights out” in the net for Minnesota. 

 As far as the trade goes that brought Gustavsson to Minnesota for Cam Talbot going to Ottawa, Minnesota definitely won that trade.

Sources:

Filip Gustavsson Named NHL's Third Star of the Week (wild.com/nhl.com) 

Ryan Reeves now a member of the Minnesota Wild—that was something I was NOT expecting…

I was in the middle of a meeting on Zoom on Wednesday when I received a notification from the Wild app on my phone that Ryan Reaves was now a member of the Minnesota Wild via a trade with the New York Rangers receiving a fifth round pick in the 2025 NHL draft. I immediately did a double take. I was shocked.

If you’re a Wild fan, you remember the fight between Reaves and now-teammate Marcus Foligno from the Wild’s home opener against Reaves’ now former team, the New York Rangers. A little over a month later, they are now teammates. In Reaves’ debut with the Wild vs Toronto, they were actually linemates---and I liked it! (I watched the game on TV on Friday, so I have yet to see this in person.) 

The infamous pic from the Marcus Foligno-Ryan Reaves
bout from the Wild's home opener on October 13
(photo courtesy of Aaron Lavinsky/AP)

Shortly after the trade, Reaves was asked if there was any awkwardness for him now that he’s teammates with Foligno and Reaves replied:

 “Never…I’ve always had respect for him. He plays hard. He plays the right way. He doesn’t do anything dirty. He sticks up for his teammates. He answers the bell when he has to. That’s a guy I’ve always respected. No hard feelings.”

Reaves went on to say that he did get a        text message from Foligno shortly after the trade was made official stating they’d be meeting on better terms. Reaves replied with “it was never and terms. It was just business.”

Wild Head Coach Dean Evason was asked about Ryan Reaves during his post-game press conference Wednesday night after the Wild beat up on the Winnipeg Jets 6-1. Evason stated that even though he hadn’t spoken with Reaves yet, he knew Reaves was on his way to the Twin Cities so that he could practice with the team the next day. (Reaves made his debut with his new team when the Wild faced Toronto the day after Thanksgiving).

According to nhl.com and Bardown Beauty’s Jessi Pierce, the cheers were loud when Reaves was introduced in the starting lineup for the game against Toronto.

Tweet courtesy of Jessi Pierce (@jessi_pierce) 

The trade worked out for all sides involved. Reaves had been a healthy scratch for seven of the last eight games he was with the Rangers. There are reports Reaves actually requested the trade based off of his lack of playing time. With Reaves joining the Wild line up, that frees up Marcus Foligno from having to play the “enforcer” role and focus more on his game. Wild General Manager Bill Guerin believes he can help the team rediscover their hard-forechecking identity, along with bringing an energy they definitely need. Reaves stated to the The Athletic before flying here to the Twin Cities:

 “…I bring energy, I bring physical play, I bring swagger. I look forward to bringing that in Minny. I’m excited. They had a good run last year. They’re a good team. Just fell short.” 

I don't know about you, but I think the Minnesota Wild are happy to have Ryan Reaves in a Wild uniform.... 

Sources:

Wild add Ryan Reaves, then take a big step toward finding their identity

Rangers trade Ryan Reaves to Wild: Why the forward is a good fit for Minnesota

Jessi Pierce on twitter