from Frank Seravalli of TSN (formerly of the Philadelphia Daily News),
So far, little progress has been made between the Wild and Dubnyk's agent, Mike Liut, on keeping him in Minnesota. Dubnyk met with Fletcher briefly here on Tuesday morning, but numbers were not discussed. Dubnyk reiterated his interest in remaining with the Wild.
Liut and Fletcher are expected to meet again on Wednesday in South Florida to negotiate. The NHL and NHLPA announced next season's hard salary cap ceiling of $71.4 million on Tuesday, at least providing some form of clarity on Fletcher's flexibility.
According to GeneralFanager.com, Minnesota has approximately $12 million in salary cap space, with more than $4.6 million committed to goaltenders Niklas Backstrom and Darcy Kuemper.
Dubnyk is reportedly seeking a long-term deal with an average annual value north of $5 million per season.
It is a complicated negotiation. Dubnyk knows perhaps better than anyone - based on what he experienced last season - the volatility of the goaltending position. He wants to maximize his earnings in a limited window, but is also comfortable in Minnesota. There are only three or four other teams looking for a starting goaltender, limiting his leverage.
"It's difficult because it becomes the business side of it," Dubnyk said. "I had the most fun playing hockey I ever had in my career. The fans are great, the city's great, the guys are great. Everything was awesome.
"I almost had it completely go away last year. You weigh both sides. You're standing in a good situation - as long as it's fair. It has to be fair."
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