Will the Wild really play with three goalies? – Minnesota Wild

There are many exciting storylines to follow as the Minnesota Wild head into training camp on Thursday, September 19. One of the most interesting stories, however, is the rumors that the Wild will keep three goalies in their opening game: 40-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury, inconsistent Swede Filip Gustavsson and 21-year-old rising star Jesper Wallstedt.

Three-goalkeeper rotations are rare in the NHL. Teams rarely have three goalies on the roster on a game day. So how exactly would that work?

The NHL allows a maximum of three goalies and 23 players on the roster. Minnesota needs 18 players to play on a nightly basis, so with the extra goalie, the Wild still have room for two extra players, as only 20 players are allowed on game day. That means the third goalie will be eating popcorn in the press box on any given night.

However, the Wild could play with three goalies, as Fleury is playing his final NHL season. Opposing teams will be cheering the Hall of Famer at all of Minnesota's road games this season. At this point in his career, Fleury is doing more in the locker room than on the ice. Last year, Fleury had a .895 save percentage and a 2.98 goals-against average, which is below the league average.

Gustavsson wasn't much better. He finished the season with a sub-.900 save percentage and a 3.06 goals-against average, a huge drop from his breakout season (.931, 2.10 in 2022-23) in Minnesota two years ago. Minnesota tried to find a trade partner for Gus, including a move to the Columbus Blue Jackets as part of a potential Patrik Laine deal. But Gustavsson will return to Minnesota for a third season and be part of the goaltending trio.

Wallstedt is entering his third season in North America after growing up in Sweden. Last year in Iowa, Wallstedt had a .910 save percentage. However, due to the lack of experience of the defenders in front of him, Wallstedt had to block a lot of shots and had a goals-against average of 2.70. That's a little higher than you'd like to see, but not bad.

Minnesota's decision to add Wallstedt to the roster also has a financial aspect. The Wild will have just over $1 million in cap space, including all seven defensemen plus two forwards, Jakub Lauko and Reese Johnson. Lauko and Johnson will make $787,500 and $775,000, respectively. That's 13 forwards and seven defensemen with two goalies. I also expect Marat Khusnutdinov to be added to the team.

Assuming the Wild want to keep players like Liam Ohgren and Wallstedt on the roster, they'll have to sacrifice a player like Johnson and keep Lauko as an extra forward. That would give Minnesota about $20,000 in salary cap space for the season, barely enough to make basic moves like calling up players due to injuries.

Bill Guerin wants Wallstedt to play more than three games this season, so John Hynes will likely have to manage a three-goalkeeper rotation.

“We have three really capable goalies that can help us win hockey games,” Hynes told The Athletic. “Jesper had a really good summer and will be competing with Gus and Flower for the opportunity to play.”

“We want all three of them to play really well, to push each other, to give it their all in the games. That they can compete and keep up. It's not about one guy. It's about all three – and we want to see how things develop in training camp and where we end up once the season starts.”

Guerin could see Fleury playing in more than half of Minnesota's games this year. While it could get complicated with three goalies in play, it's not impossible if the Wild are competitive and can bounce back.

“If Marc-Andre Fleury plays 40 games at a high level, I'll be absolutely impressed,” Guerin told The Athletic. “I think he can do it because he's physically a beauty, but it's about more than just being in good physical shape.”

The Wild can expect a return from their veteran goalies, but barring an injury, Wallstedt will be absent from most of Minnesota's games. History, finances, and probably Wallstedt himself all argue against a three-goalie rotation, but I'm not the one calling the shots in St. Paul.

Nice training camp!

All statistics and data via HockeyDB, Evolving Hockey and Cap Wages unless otherwise noted.

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