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Minnesota Wild: Franchise 5 Best Trades of All-Time

By Cody Defoe

ST. PAUL, MN - APRIL 15: A general view of Xcel Energy Center before game 3 of a round one Stanley Cup Playoff matchup between the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets on April 15, 2018 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. The Wild defeated the Jets 6-2. (Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN - APRIL 15: A general view of Xcel Energy Center before game 3 of a round one Stanley Cup Playoff matchup between the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets on April 15, 2018 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. The Wild defeated the Jets 6-2. (Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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WINNIPEG, MB – APRIL 11: Goaltender Devan Dubnyk #40 of the Minnesota Wild guards the net during first period action against the Winnipeg Jets in Game One of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell MTS Place on April 11, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Jets defeated the Wild 3-2 to lead the series 1-0. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images) /

#1 – Devan Dubnyk Is Bought Cheap

The 2014-15 NHL Season was not kind to the Minnesota Wild. Ilya Bryzgalov and Josh Harding both left in the offseason, Niklas Backstrom was no longer the player he had been for so long, and Darcy Kuemper was set to be the true starter and failed miserably.

There was no goaltending depth to be found in the Wild farm system. So when the team went on a mid-season losing streak and neither Kuemper nor Backstrom could pull them out of it, Chuck Fletcher was forced to look outside the team for help.

He found that help, in a huge way, and paid dirt cheap to get it. The Arizona Coyotes were a bottom feeding team, with no chances of making the playoffs, carrying a resurgent Devan Dubnyk in a backup goaltending role to their star Mike Smith.

Fletcher somehow managed to snag Dubnyk out of the desert for nothing more than a 2015 3rd round draft pick. Dubnyk came in and stole the show, posting an unfathomable 1.78 GAA in 39 games played, and carrying the Wild into the playoffs entirely on his back.

Dubnyk has played no less than 60 games, recording 32+ wins, posting franchise highs in GAA and Sv%,  and recording 5 Shutouts each and every season with the Minnesota Wild.

Dubnyk has been a 2 Time NHL All-Star (2016 & 2017), a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2014-15, the 2014-15 Bill Masterton award winner for perseverance and dedication to hockey, and the first 40 win season by a goaltender in Minnesota Wild history.

Prior to coming to Minnesota, Dubnyk had never been to the playoffs, he had never even posted a winning season in 5 years as a tandem starter for the Edmonton Oilers. Since arriving in the State of Hockey, Dubnyk has never missed the playoffs and has been the most reliable member of this roster for the better part of 4 seasons now.

As for the Arizona Coyotes, that 3rd round draft pick was used on forward prospect Brendan Warren who is about to enter his 4th year at the University of Michigan. Unfortunately for Arizona, if Warren does ever make the jump to the NHL it will not be for the Coyotes, as they shipped his rights off to Philadelphia..

To make matters worse, Mike Smith reverted back to mediocrity following Dubnyk’s departure and the Coyotes have since used 7 different goaltenders in the last 3 seasons. I bet they wish they had Dubnyk now.

Next. 2018-19 Season Preview Mikael Granlund. dark

That’s it for the list of best trades in Minnesota Wild history. Perhaps this one gets first billing because of a recency bias, or perhaps it was actually the biggest steal in Wild history. You be the judge. Leave me your comments if there’s a trade you think should have been on this list, and keep an eye out next month for my follow-up of the worst trades in Wild history.

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