Minnesota Wild activate Filip Gustavsson off injured reserve

The Minnesota Wild announced Saturday that they have activated Filip Gustavsson off of injured reserve and have sent goaltender Jesper Wallstedt to the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Gustavsson last played on Dec. 30 against the Winnipeg Jets and left the game with a lower-body injury. He stopped 19 of 22 shots through the first two periods before exiting the game. Just a couple of days later, the Wild placed him and forward Kirill Kaprizov on the injured reserve on a week-to-week basis.

The 25-year-old has a 10-8-2 record in 22 appearances, recording a .903 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.95 goals-against-average (GAA). Gustavsson signed a three-year deal worth $11.25 million with the Wild in July and avoided arbitration.

Gustavsson was initially selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2016 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut in 2020-21 with the Ottawa Senators. Through four seasons with the Senators and Wild, he has compiled a 42-30-12 record with a .916 SV% and a 2.62 GAA.

During Gustavsson’s absence, veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury manned the crease, Fleruy picked up his 551st career win on Jan. 6, tying Hall of Famer Patrick Roy in the goaltending wins column. Fleury is in his 20th NHL season and has compiled a 7-9-3 record this year. Wallstedt got his first NHL start on Jan. 10’s 7-2 loss to the Dallas Stars.

The 17-19-5 Wild will play the Arizona Coyotes tonight and the New York Islanders on Monday. Minnesota sits seventh in the Central Divison and are three points back of the Coyotes and four points back of the St. Louis Blues. According to MoneyPuck.com, the Wild have a 6.1% chance of making the playoffs currently.