3 Goalies New Jersey Devils Should Target That Nobody is Talking About
By Nick Natale
Filip Gustavsson - Minnesota Wild
Minnesota is stuck in one of the weirdest situations in the entire NHL. They have nearly $15 million of dead cap space from buying out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter and are forever stuck in purgatory. For years they've been good enough to make the playoffs or get close to it, but can never get over the hump. However, they have one of the deepest prospect pools in the league, highlighted by Swedish phenom, goalie Jesper Wallstedt.
While adding Wallstedt would be nice, there's a less than zero percent chance of that happening. Instead, the Devils should go over their current 1A in Filip Gustavsson. An incredible 2022-23 season in which he recorded a 2.10 GAA, a 0.931 SV%, and an insane 24.2 GSAx saw him earn a three-year, $3.75 million AAV extension.
His numbers in 2023-24 have been less than stellar so far. He has a 3.15 GAA and a 0.897 SV%, as well as seeing his GSAx plummet to -4.0. It would be a risky get, but the Devils should buy the dip. for starters, Gustavsson is still just 25 years old. He is also on a relatively good contract that the Devils would have no problem absorbing for the next two seasons. From Minnesota's vantage point, cap space is at an absolute premium for them. Moving Gustavsson gives Wallstedt a clear path to the number one job while being on an ELC clears nearly $4 million, and would return assets they can use to build up their roster on the cheap.
That's not to say there's no risk involved for the Devils either. They would be putting a lot of their eggs in the basket of Gustavsson returning to elite form, which given the Devils recent run with goalies, is certainly not a given. Also, the Devils aren't exactly flush with cash either, and taking on that money takes them out of the running for any more upgrades in net. At the end of the day, Gustavsson has shown the flashes before and is the type of home run swing worth taking if you're Fitzgerald.