The Minnesota Wild have signed their prized goalie Devan Dubnyk to a new six-year contract worth $25 million, according to multiple media reports.
Dubnyk and team officials have been negotiating intensely for the last several days, trying to reach an agreement before July 1 when Dubnyk would have become a free agent, according to the Star Tribune.
The newspaper notes Dubnyk will be paid the most during the first four years of the contract, to help the team with it’s salary cap. The contract also includes a limited no-trade clause for part of the deal.
“I think it’s a fair contract for what he’s done,” Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “I think the cap number will work well for us, and in turn, I think the term is what he was hoping to get.”
Dubnyk had an outstanding stretch with the Wild since the team acquired him in January. He started a franchise-record 38 consecutive games in the net and finished 27-9-2 for the Wild over the second half of the season – leading the team into the playoffs.
Earlier this week he was awarded the Masterton Trophy, which is given each year to the NHL player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Dubnyk also finished third in the voting for the Vezina Trophy – which goes to the league’s top goaltender. This year that award went to Montreal’s Carey Price.
The Wild has two other goalies on the roster – Niklas Backstrom and Darcy Kuemper. The Star Tribune speculates that with the Dubnyk deal done, Kuemper may become expendable at some point.
Fletcher has also been aiming to reach a new contract deal with center Mikael Granlund, with Fletcher saying the two sides are “very close.”
