Wild’s Jesper Wallstedt addresses trade rumors after stellar rookie season

Thanks to an impressive run down the stretch of the season, the Minnesota Wild decided to start goaltender Jesper Wallstedt during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, resulting in a six-game series victory over the rival Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Quarterfinal.However, their results against the Colorado Avalanche in the second round were different. Not only did Wallstedt allow eight goals to the Avalanche in their roller-coaster Game 1 loss, but he was also replaced by Filip Gustavsson for Game 2. Eventually returning to the net for the remainder of the series, starting in Game 3, Wallstedt led the Wild to a Game 3 win.But the Avalanche proved too much for the Wild to overcome, defeating Minnesota in five games.Wallstedt, who spoke to media members on Friday as part of their locker-room cleanout day, addressed trade rumors.“I don’t think you’re ever safe, but I hope I made a good impression,” Wallstedt said via Michael Russo on X, formerly known as Twitter.Taken by the Wild in the opening round (20th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft, Wallstedt spent last season with the AHL affiliate Iowa Wild before earning a full-time roster spot this past fall in training camp. He posted a record of 18-9-6 with a 2.61 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage, and four shutouts during the 2025-26 season.He's also under contract for one more year with a salary cap hit of $2.2 million, and can become a restricted free agent next summer.Thanks to an impressive run down the stretch of the season, the Minnesota Wild decided to start goaltender Jesper Wallstedt during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, resulting in a six-game series victory over the rival Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Quarterfinal. However, their results against the Colorado Avalanche in the second round were different.