Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk wins 2015 Masterton Trophy
Devan Dubnyk had a heckua a year. From looking like he would be a career backup to turning his season around after a trade to the Minnesota Wild, the netminder is about to cash in on a new deal and just won the 2015 Masterton Trophy, as voted on by the PHWA.
Last season Dubnyk was traded from Nashville – where he was beat out by Carter Hutton for the backup job – to the Montreal Canadiens, essentially for nothing and assigned to Montreal’s AHL affiliate in Hamilton. We asked him about how he felt the day he was traded and how far he has come since then.
“When you’re in Hamilton and you’re back on the bus and rotating three guys, it’s tough to see past that I guess. You try to but when you’re in it, it’s real tough to see past it. I think the best thing is to get a break from the season and get that chance in the summer to reflect on everything that had happened and why it happened and like I said up there, you realize how lucky you are to have these people in your life,” he said. “They’re there for you no matter what happens or what you’re doing, if you’re playing hockey or playing good or bad at whatever you’re doing. It’s not going to change. When you realize that you can take the pressure off and go play and I’m fortunate enough to have people around me like that.”
As for the contract, “Not much of an update. Nothing from the last time we spoke. I had a good conversation with (Wild GM) Chuck (Fletcher) yesterday morning. Again, the biggest thing to reiterate, there’s been a lot more made of it than here is. Both sides are still very positive and feel the same way. I want to be there and they want me there. If that’s the case, there should be a way to get it done.”
From the NHL:
Dubnyk earned his team’s Masterton Trophy nomination on the strength of a remarkable second-half run. Eight points outside of a playoff spot when he made his team debut on Jan. 15, the 29-year-old backstopped the Wild — his fifth NHL organization in the past two seasons — to their third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Dubnyk, who set a franchise record with 38 straight starts following his acquisition from Arizona, went 27-9-2 with a 1.78 goals-against average, .936 save percentage and five shutouts after joining the Wild. Overall, he finished the season second in the NHL with a 2.07 goals-against average and .929 save percentage and was voted a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the League’s top goaltender.
A $2,500 grant from the PHWA is awarded annually to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund, based in Bloomington, Minnesota, in the name of the Masterton Trophy winner.
Dubnyk beat out Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Andrew Hammond of the Ottawa Senators. He’s also the second Wild goaltender in three seasons to win the award after Josh Harding took home the trophy in 2013.
Next up for Dubnyk is a new deal, which the Wild hopes is with them. Earlier this week, the netminder said talks were going good and the hold up seemed to be salary cap related, not term or dollar amount.
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
