Dubnyk traded to Sharks by Wild
Teams also exchange draft picks; goalie has one season left on six-year contract
Devan Dubnyk traded to San Jose
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NHL.com @NHLdotcom
Dubnyk was 12-15-2 with a 3.35 goals-against average and .890 save percentage in 30 games (28 starts) this season. The 34-year-old missed time in November and December when his wife, Jenn, was dealing with a medical situation, and he lost his job as Minnesota's No. 1 goalie toward the end of the season to Alex Stalock, who started all four games for the Wild in their loss to the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
"It's been a stressful week, obviously, when you find out," Dubnyk said. "But with the conversations I've had, mainly with (general manager) Doug Wilson | Fantasy impact of Sharks acquiring Dubnyk]*
The Sharks, who missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2014-15, have struggled with their goaltending the past two seasons. This season, they finished 10th in shots-against per game (30.6) but 27th in goals-against per game (3.21).
Martin Jones was 17-21-2 with a 3.00 GAA and .896 save percentage in 41 games (40 starts). Aaron Dell, who can become an unrestricted free agent Oct. 9, was 12-15-3 with a 3.01 GAA and .907 save percentage. In 2018-19, Jones had a 2.94 GAA and .896 save percentage, and Dell had a 3.17 GAA and .886 save percentage.
"We have to tighten up as a team defensively and play the right way to give whoever's in net a chance to succeed," Wilson said. "But Devan's record, if you take a look at it the last 5-6 years, maybe he played too many games, much like Martin Jones. I think a couple of years ago Devan played 67 games (in 2015-16 and 2018-19). But he's a big, strong, guy, he's healthy, he's a three-time all-star, we've seen what he's capable of."
Selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round (No. 14) of the 2004 NHL Draft, Dubnyk is 247-195-52 with a 2.58 GAA, a .915 save percentage and 32 shutouts in 520 regular-season games with the Wild, Arizona Coyotes, Nashville Predators and Oilers. He is 8-18 with a 2.72 GAA and .904 save percentage in 26 NHL playoff games.
Dubnyk said he looks forward to sharing the San Jose net with Jones.
"I've always looked at it as being extremely important to have a close relationship with your goalie partner, regardless if you're backing up, starting, if you're splitting games," he said. "It's a difficult position, it's a difficult league to play in. Obviously, it's the best in the world. And it's extremely important to have the support of your partner, and I think this is a great opportunity for both of us to kind of latch on to each other and get better together, both of us."
The Sharks acquired 24-year-old forward Ryan Donato in a separate trade from the Wild on Monday for a third-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. San Jose got the pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins for forward Patrick Marleau on Feb. 24.
"I think [Donato] will (get more of a chance with San Jose), but I think he's honest about himself," Wilson said. "He knows he can score goals in this league and he has a great shot. He scored 14 even-strength goals with limited ice time last year (10:38 per game), but I think what he's appreciated is learning the game in all areas."
Minnesota was the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference and won Game 1 of its best-of-5 Qualifier series before losing three straight to Vancouver.
The Wild are in the market for a No. 1 goalie after the trade, general manager Bill Guerin said.
"We're going to try to address it as soon as we can," Guerin said. "We still have a few more days to free agency. We're doing what we can homework-wise and learning all the possibilities, but it's a very important position and something that we're looking to add to."
Stalock has two seasons remaining on a three-year, $2.355 million contract ($785,000 average annual value) he signed with the Wild on Jan. 29, 2019. Kaapo Kahkonen, a 24-year-old goalie who played five games for Minnesota this season, can become a restricted free agent Oct. 9.
The Wild have made four trades since losing in the Qualifiers. They traded a conditional pick in the 2021 NHL Draft to the Penguins for forward Nick Bjugstad on Sept. 11. Six days later, center Eric Staal was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for forward Marcus Johansson.
NHL.com staff writer Tracey Myers contributed to this report
