Written By Nic Hallett
Devan Dubnyk’s resurgent play since being traded to the Minnesota Wild has the future of the team’s netminding predicament slightly less murky.
It’s no question that among the many shortcomings and distractions that have led to a disappointing campaign for the Wild this season that goaltending has been the chief concern. In short, backstopping has gone from a strength to the team’s Achilles heel.
Last season, Minnesota finished among the league’s best by allowing only 2.42 goals per game. This season the Wild currently rank 23rd at 2.83.
The problem showed no signs of stopping with Niklas Backstrom succumbing to old age and, at the other end of the spectrum, Darcy Kuemper still burgeoning into a full-time professional goalie. General manager Chuck Fletcher finally stopped the bleeding by acquiring Dubnyk, who, even as a backup for a team lower in the Western Conference standings than the Wild, had a better goals against average and save percentage than Backstrom or Kuemper.
Dubnyk was expected to be a mere stopgap upon arrival, but instead the former first-round pick has been outstanding. Once thought to be the goalie of the future for the Edmonton Oilers, the 28 year old has been exceptional in a Wild sweater with four wins (two shutouts) in six games.
It’s a small sample size, but so far with Minnesota, Dubnyk is posting a 1.66 goals against average to go along with a sparkling .931 save percentage. For comparison, Brian Elliott of the St. Louis Blues leads the NHL in goals against average with 1.95 and Calvin Pickard of the Colorado Avalanche is tops in save percentage at .936. In other words, the Wild’s new goaltender is presently playing at an elite level.
Suffice to say, Dubnyk’s numbers blow Backstrom (3.04, .887) and Kuemper (2.62, .904) out of the proverbial water.
A playoff push this season is still a possibility and Dubnyk is a big reason why. The Wild have a 12.3 percent chance of reaching the postseason, according to sportsclubstats.com. That number was as low as 6 percent before “the Dubinator” was acquired.
Still, the mathematics are by no means in the Wild’s favor, and many fans are already turning their attention to next season. So then, what does the future hold for the Wild between the pipes?
Given his age and pedigree, if Dubnyk can sustain his current play even remotely — a regression is certainly in the offing — he’ll earn himself a contract from the Wild. Look no further than his current one-year, $800,000 deal that he signed with the Arizona Coyotes this offseason for Dubnyk’s motivation to resurrect his career in Minnesota.
If that happened, then it’s easy to picture a scenario where the Wild attack the 2015-16 season with a tandem: Dubnyk as the No. 1 and Kuemper playing above average minutes for a No. 2. Kuemper has struggled in his sophomore season but this would be an ideal role for him to continue his development in a protected way for the team.
The albatross in the room, however, is Backstrom and the one year remaining on his contract at a near-crippling cap hit of $3.4 million. The Wild can’t simply cut bait and waive Backstrom right now because he has a no-move clause, blocking him from being sent to the AHL.
If the Wild do release the veteran from the books their cap space is still stringent and leaves them in a sticky situation as it pertains to addressing the goalie situation.
This is especially so if Dubnyk’s play dips to replacement level. In that scenario, recruiting a veteran free agent goalie would make a lot of sense. But, once again, for the tight-budgeted Wild that would be difficult. Not to mention there are limited options.
The two top free agent netminders come this summer are San Jose's Antti Niemi and Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury. Despite both being under the age of 32 and having won the Stanley Cup as starters, it’s reported both will hit the market as they’ve become too expensive. Either would require at least $4-6 million per year if not more; something the Wild would struggle to afford.
That’s why Dubnyk continuing to play well and the aforementioned scenario listed above would be the smoothest for the Wild. It would also be the most cost effective.
The remainder of the regular season for the Wild will largely be about scratching their way to the playoffs by any means possible. No matter the outcome, though, it will also serve as the catalyst for the franchise’s future in the crease.