Report: Wild, Devan Dubnyk to begin contract talks this week
It could be argued that Devan Dubnyk was the most valuable player in the NHL over the final two months of the regular season.
After being acquired by the goalie-desperate Wild in a deadline trade with the Coyotes, for whom Dubnyk was serving primarily as Mike Smith's backup, Dubnyk was simply ridiculous. In 39 games (including 38 consecutive starts at one point) he posted a 1.78 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage while going 27-9-2, in the process taking the Wild from outside the playoff picture to the sixth seed in the Western Conference. Dubnyk was named a month ago as one of three finalists for the Vezina Trophy.
So that's all well and good, for both Dubnyk and the Wild; the dilemma is that the 29-year-old Dubnyk is set to become a free agent on July 1, and after the way he played in Minnesota late this season, the Wild would seem to have little interest in letting him walk.
As reported by SportsNet's Elliotte Friedman, Dubnyk and the Wild are set to begin negotiations this week on a new contract, one that could land him upwards of $6 million a year (the going rate for bona fide starting goaltenders over the past couple of seasons).
Specifically, Friedman said, "The Minnesota Wild and Dubnyk will sit down with his agent this week to talk to see if they can work out a contract."
For his part, Dubnyk has already said that he'd like to be back in Minnesota next season and beyond. Wild GM Chuck Fletcher has indicated much the same. The question, then, isn't whether an extension is desirable; it's whether the Wild can lock up Dubnyk before July 1, when there will undoubtedly be other enticing options for the goaltender.
