While it remains uncertain who will be the Wild’s top goalie in 2020-21, this much is clear. Devan Dubnyk won’t be in the mix to win the job. The Wild and Sharks have completed a deal that will send the veteran goalie to San Jose.
Dubnyk, who was the Wild’s top goalie for almost all of his six seasons in Minnesota, will be packaged with a 2022 seventh-round pick for a 2022 fifth-round selection. It is the second trade of the day between the Wild and Sharks after Minnesota sent winger Ryan Donato to San Jose for a 2021 third-round pick. Both trades had been rumored since late last week.
The #mnwild has acquired a fifth-round selection in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft from the @SanJoseSharks in exchange for goaltender Devan Dubnyk and the #mnwild seventh-round selection in the 2022 #NHLDraft.
🗞 » https://t.co/CUW6EVAXhj pic.twitter.com/RZ4pjp6oCr
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) October 5, 2020
The 34-year-old Dubnyk will make $2.5 million in 2020-21 and have a salary-cap hit of $4.333 million. Russo reported that the Wild retained the maximum half of Dubnyk’s remaining contract, meaning they will pay him $1.25 million and be on the hook for a $2.17 million salary-cap hit this coming season. Player salaries, of course, could be impacted if the NHL is forced to play a shortened schedule because of the pandemic.
The Wild still have backup goalie Alex Stalock, who replaced Dubnyk for much of 2019-20, on the roster and Kaapo Kahkonen was the AHL goalie of the year after winning 25 games and posting a 2.07 goals-against average and .927 save percentage at Iowa. Kahkonen also played five games with the Wild and went 3-1-1 with a 2.96 goals-against average and .913 save percentage
The Wild could go with Stalock and Kahkonen to open next season, or Guerin could look to add a veteran to the mix.
Hearing that a Devan Dubnyk trade to San Jose, as expected, has been completed and should be announced within the next hour.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 5, 2020