Devils & Wild Could Be Suitable Trade Partners

Filip Gustavsson & Marco Rossi potentially being available could make the Wild a suitable trade partner for the New Jersey Devils

---

Follow us on Twitter: @AlexC_NJD, @NJD_OnTheRush

---

We're about a month and change away from the trade market starting to ramp up. The New Jersey Devils are sure to be active this offseason after missing the playoffs in a disappointing 2023-24 campaign. 

Goaltending is their biggest issue, but adding help up front will probably be general manager Tom Fitzgerald's next focal point once he addresses the situation in net. 

One team that could maybe help is the Minnesota Wild. Michael Russo hinted in a mailbag for The Athletic that the Wild could be open to trading goaltender Filip Gustavsson and center Marco Rossi. Could they be fits for the Devils? Let's take a look. 

Gustavsson Is a Good Bounce-Back Candidate

Gustavsson was a highly touted prospect for quite some time, but it took a while for him to break through in the NHL. He got a couple of cracks at taking the job in Ottawa, but the Senators traded him to the Wild in exchange for Cam Talbot.

In typical Senators fashion, that move backfired. Gustavsson had a breakout season with the Wild in 2022-23, posting a .931 save percentage in 39 games while stopping 24.2 goals above expected. He was one of the best netminders in the NHL, earning him a three-year extension with an average annual value of $3.75 million. 

That was pretty good value for Gustavsson, considering the season he had. But he was always going to regress from the .931 SV% he posted. However, that regression was a bit harder than the Wild probably thought it would be this past season. 

Gustavsson finished 2023-24 with an .899 SV% while giving up 4.8 goals above expected. There was a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, though. He did play better after the Wild replaced Dean Evason with John Hynes, posting a .905 SV% in 33 games while allowing 4.8 goals more than expected. 

Goalies are voodoo, and the swing in Gustavsson's last two seasons proves that. He went from being one of the top netminders in the NHL to one of the weaker ones. He's likely somewhere between that, so he might be someone the Devils keep on their goalie trade board if the Wild consider moving him. 

Russo suggested that the Wild could get a second for Gustavsson, but they'd ideally like a roster player — preferably a middle-six winger. Is Alex Holtz someone who could interest them? His days with the Devils could be numbered, and I'm sure the Wild wouldn't mind taking a chance on a former top pick who still has room for growth. 

The concern with Gustavsson is he's a tandem goalie right now, having never played more than 40 games a season in his young career. His AAV of $3.75 million should be easy to stomach, but would the Devils feel comfortable splitting starts 50/50 between him and Jake Allen? That's certainly a fair question to ask.