Wild Notes: Gustavsson, Faber, Injuries, Front Office

After a strong first season in Minnesota, Filip Gustavsson’s second year didn’t go anywhere near as planned.  The 25-year-old saw his save percentage drop by 32 points from .931 to .899 while his GAA went up nearly a full goal from 2.10 to 3.06 in 43 appearances.  With Marc-Andre Fleury signing on for a final season and GM Bill Guerin indicating he wants to give Jesper Wallstedt a longer NHL look, some have wondered if Gustavsson could be the odd one out.  Despite the potential logjam, the netminder told reporters including Sarah McLellan and Rachel Blount of the Star Tribune that he wants to stay.  Head coach John Hynes indicated that an improved fitness level will be key to a successful offseason for Gustavsson.

More from Minnesota from McLellan and Blount’s piece:

• Defenseman Brock Faber played the last two months with fractured ribs. The injury certainly didn’t seem to slow the 21-year-old who logged nearly 25 minutes a night in his rookie year while leading Minnesota’s blueliners with 47 points in 82 games, making him a Calder Trophy contender.  The injury, however, will keep him out of the Worlds next month.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see Guerin try to work out a long-term extension with Faber this summer, one that could push past the $8MM mark based on recent comparables including Ottawa’s Jake Sanderson.
• Speaking of injuries, defenseman Jared Spurgeon and winger Marcus Foligno are expected to be fully ready for training camp in September. Spurgeon was limited to just 16 games this season due to hip and back surgeries but resumed skating four weeks ago.  When healthy, the 34-year-old logs big minutes for the Wild and he’ll certainly be a big boost to their back end in the fall.  As for Foligno, he missed the final couple of weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery; he won’t be able to return to the ice until June.
• Guerin indicated that the team will likely announce changes to the front office. They didn’t appoint a replacement when assistant GM Chris O’Hearn left so at a minimum, a new assistant will need to be appointed.  Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic suggest (subscription link) that Mat Sells, who works in analytics and helps with contract negotiations, is a candidate for a promotion to that role.