Filip Gustavsson

This Season So Far

The 2026-27 season has not started. The empty row above is his, and both it and this paragraph fill in on their own from the morning after he first plays: what he has done, what it is worth against his own last season, and the run he is on when the two disagree.

Last Season

50 games, a .903 save percentage, a 2.69 goals-against average and 4 shutouts, going 28-15-6. That is a respectable workhorse season and a step below his career .911, which itself contains one outstanding year and several average ones.

The Physical Game

6-2 and athletic rather than large by modern standards. He is quick post to post and generally square, and he tracks pucks through traffic better than his size would suggest. At his best he is calm and economical; the good version of him does not look like he is working.

The inconsistency shows up in the technical detail rather than the athleticism. When he is off, he is deep in his crease and reaching rather than moving, and the rebounds go into the slot instead of the corner.

The Mental Game

The most-discussed thing about him. He has had months where he was among the best goaltenders in the league and months where he was pulled repeatedly, and there has never been an obvious injury or workload explanation for the swing. He does not visibly rattle, but the results move more than a settled starter’s should.

The Intangibles

He is 28, on a good contract, in a season where a 23-year-old behind him posted better numbers in 35 games. That is the whole situation, and it is not hostile — the 2 of them split a season fairly comfortably.

What decides his next few years is whether the good stretches get longer. Nothing about his tools says they cannot.