Colorado Avalanche get Devan Dubnyk

“Doooooooooooob.” That will soon be heard at Ball Arena, just like “Groooooooob.” Yes, Devan Dubnyk, the guy you always loved to hate, is now a member of the Colorado Avalanche.

The Avs just acquired the 34-year-old veteran from San Jose for Greg Pateryn and a 5th round pick in this year’s draft. The Avs now have their more veteran backup goaltender for the stretch run and the playoffs.

Dubnyk has a 3-9-2 record, 3.18 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage with the Sharks this season. No, those numbers don’t look good.

But on this team, I think they’ll improve. Avs fans have never liked this guy, but the fact is he’s capable of getting red hot sometimes. He’s huge, still has a passion for the game and is a real competitor. Yeah, he’s been known to argue a call or two as well.

As I’ve said all along, you don’t need to be a world beater to win with this team in front of you. You just have to be competent, and you’re likely to win the hockey game.

Dubnyk is on an expiring contract and the Avs still have $4.4 million in LTIR cap space, per Puckpedia, and I expect another move or two. Joe Sakic is going for it, folks.

He has skated in 537 NHL games over a 12-year career with the  Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators, Arizona Coyotes, Minnesota Wild and San Jose, recording a 250-204-54 career record with a 2.60 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and 33 shutouts. The 6-foot-6, 224-pound netminder has an 8-18 record, 2.72 goals-against average and .904 save percentage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, all with Minnesota, and is the Wild’s all-time leader in playoff games played (26), wins (8) and shutouts (2).

During his six seasons with Minnesota (2014-20), Dubnyk led the NHL in games played (328), was second in wins (177), third in goals-against average (2.41), tied for fifth in shutouts (23) and tied for sixth in save percentage (.918). He was one of four goaltenders in the NHL to win at least 25 games in their first five seasons with a franchise, and he earned at least 31 wins in each campaign from 2015-16 through 2018-19, including a career-best 40 wins during the 2016-17 season.

In 2014-15, a year he began with Arizona before getting traded to the Wild, Dubnyk finished third in voting for the Vezina Trophy after posting a 36-14-4 record, .929 save percentage and a 2.07 goals-against average with six shutouts. He was the recipient of the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey, finished fourth in voting for the Hart Trophy and was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team.

Selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round (14th overall) of the 2004 NHL Draft, Dubnyk has been selected to three NHL All-Star Games (2016, 2017, 2019) and is one of two netminders from the 2004 draft class to play in 500 career games (Pekka Rinne is the other). Since entering the league in 2009, Dubnyk ranks sixth in games played (537), is tied for 10th in wins (250) and ranks ninth in saves (14,070).

Dubnyk appeared in 140 career American Hockey League contests with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Springfield and Hamilton, recording a 3.03 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and 44-81-4 record with three shutouts. He played for the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League and finished his junior hockey career with a 83-87-14 record, 2.69 goals-against average and .912 save percentage in 192 appearances.

Internationally, the Regina, Saskatchewan, native has represented his country in the IIHF World Championship four times (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013), appearing in seven total games and recording a 1.28 goals-against average and .934 save percentage. In the 2013 tournament, Dubnyk went 4-0 with a 1.48 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. He was on Canada’s goal-medal team at the 2006 IIHF World Junior Championship, but did not appear in any games.