The Edmonton Oilers are coming off a 1-0 shutout loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. Their season hasn’t gone as planned; they’re last in the Pacific Division and have dropped five of their last seven games.
Goaltending continues to be one of the biggest issues, and now it looks like the Oilers may have missed out on what could’ve been their future No. 1 goalie: Jesper Wallstedt, who is thriving in Minnesota.
How Jesper Wallstedt Feels About the Oilers Passing on Him
Wallstedt was selected 20th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, a pick the Oilers traded to Minnesota. The Wild held the 22nd and 26th selections that year and were determined to move up to grab him. After three failed attempts, they didn’t expect Edmonton to budge at No. 20, especially since they assumed the Oilers would also want a high-end goalie prospect.
But Wild GM Bill Guerin made the call to Ken Holland (Oilers GM at that time) and managed to pull off the trade, sending pick No. 22 and a third-rounder in exchange for No. 20.
Minnesota then got Wallstedt. The Oilers used their new 22nd pick on Xavier Bourgault, who was later traded and hasn’t played an NHL game. Their third-round pick, Luca Münzenberger, went unsigned and returned to Germany.
Speaking to the Athletic, Wallstedt said he later learned the Oilers weren’t interested in drafting him at all. Scouts had concerns about his conditioning, attitude, and coachability back then. “I was 17, 18 years old. It wasn’t true, but that’s what people thought.”
The Wild didn’t buy into the negative scouting reports, and Wallstedt said, “I’m glad they didn’t because I love it here”.
Today, Wallstedt has emerged as one of the league’s top young goalies. He’s 8-0-2 with four shutouts in his last six starts and earned the first star of the game against Edmonton. He also became just the fourth rookie goalie in NHL history, and the first in 87 years, to record four shutouts in a six-game stretch.
ALSO READ: Minnesota Wild Take Barefaced Shot at Oilers’ Goaltending Difficulties
After beating the Oilers, Wallstedt joked that he’s heard “way too much” about the team passing on him in 2021, insisting it doesn’t give him any extra motivation. “I was drafted by Minnesota. I play here and I love it here. That’s kind of the end of the conversation,” he explained.
Next up, the Wild take on the Flames on Thursday, and Wallstedt is expected to get the start.
