Jason Pominville is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, but he would rather not enter his final season under contract without a long-term deal.
“I don’t want to really talk during the season,” Pominville said Tuesday, via the Star Tribune. “I don’t want it to be a distraction for me and the way I play, and then you’re always thinking. If you know they’re talking and things aren’t going the way you want it to go, then you’re thinking, ‘Oh, are they not wanting to sign me anymore?’ I don’t really want to have that distraction, so hopefully it can get done before [the season]. If not, there’s still a lot of time.”
Michael Russo reports that Pominville is seeking a long-term deal worth approximately $5 million per season.
The contract talks have been “back and forth” since before training camp opened.
Hopefully something gets done and they keep talking and we can work it out. If not, we’ll see where it goes from there,” Pominville added.
The season starts Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings.
Wild.com has a cool feature story on Pominville’s first full season in Minnesota. He was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres late last season, and his time with the Wild was cut short by a concussion. Zach Parise believes fans never got a chance to see what the real Pominville can do.
“I think people forget how good of a player he is and how big of an impact he’ll have on this team,” Parise said.
