Minnesota Wild Trade for Goalie Dubnyk Per Reports
Jan 13, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Jose Sharks center
Patrick Marleau(12) is unable to deflect the puck past Arizona Coyotes goalie
Devan Dubnyk(40) during the third period at Gila River Arena. The Sharks won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Recently, I wrote a post about possible goalies for the Minnesota Wild to target via trade. According to reports, the Wild did indeed trade for a goalie today and it wasn’t any of the five I had mentioned. Go me! Anyway, here is the tweet from the Star Tribune’s Michael Russo:
Per @TSNBobMcKenzie and @DarrenDreger, #mnwild acquires Arizona goalie Devan Dubnyk for a third-round pick
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 14, 2015
I have to be honest: I know nothing about Devan Dubnyk. First, let’s take a look at his stats compared to the duo the Wild have been trotting out so far this year:
[table id=15 /]
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Much like every other current NHL goalie, he has been better than Niklas Backstrom. His goals against average is a touch higher than Kuemper’s, but his save percentage is also higher, so that’s a plus. Backstrom has been so bad that I don’t think you can even play him at this point. His save percentage is right near the bottom of all qualifying goalies in the NHL and his goals against average is 34th in the league. Kuemper also struggled mightily before his lower body injury, so I imagine Dubnyk will be in line for significant playing time right off the bat for his new team. This will be music to Dubnyk’s ears, as he had been lobbying for more playing time in the desert. According to Sarah McLellan of AZ Central, the Coyotes other goalie Mike Smith was struggling, leading to more time for Dubnyk. On how he handled the extra workload, Dubnyk said:
"“I also use the experience and familiarity of having played a lot of games in a row in small periods of time in the past and understand what I have to do to take care of myself, whether it’s pregame skates or days in between. I just remember what’s important to make sure you’re ready to play a lot and most importantly just try to enjoy it while it’s happening.”"
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Another angle to look at is Dubnyk’s contract situation. He is affordable, or if you prefer, cheap. He is playing out the last year of his contract which pays him $800,000 this season. He is inexpensive in another sense as well, considering it only took one third round pick to get him. He will be a free agent at the conclusion of this season, which gives the Wild additional flexibility. If Dubnyk plays well and earns a new contract from the club, that’s great. If he does not the Wild can let him leave and start their goalie search over again.
The coming weeks and months will tell us whether or not the Wild chose the right goalie. Where there is no question is that the team absolutely had to do something, as their season has been careening out of control for over a month now.