Minnesota Wild top goalie prospect wins AHL award

The Minnesota Wild seemed to have their goalie situation under control when they signed Devan Dubnyk in 2015 to a contract that carried a cap hit of roughly 4,3 million dollars, effective until after the 2020-21 season. However, Dubnyk struggled this year, posting a .890 save percentage and forcing Alex Stalock to step up and play more games than most expected him to.

However, the Wild's goalie question might not be a question that will take a very long time to answer. With Alex Stalock unlikely to become a permanent starter, and there being question marks regarding Dubnyk's age, someone outside this year's tandem would likely have to come in to take the reins.

This year though, it appeared that Minnesota may have found their starter for the upcoming seasons. Kaapo Kakkonen had a stellar season in the AHL, and has now been rewarded for it, winning the AHL's outstanding goalie of the season ahead of goalies such as the Rangers' Igor Shesterkin. Even though played games may have been what ultimately decided it in favor of the Finnish prospect, it's great news for any Wild fans who may have been worried about experiencing a similar situation to the one they went through before Dubnyk was acquired in the 2014-15 season. Kakkonen played 34 games for the Iowa Wild this season, posting a .927 save percentage and 2.07 gaa.
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Kaapo Kahkonen (MIN) is named the AHL's outstanding goalie for 2019-20. I saw the Iowa Wild quite a bit this season and there's a lot to like about where his game has gone in the last year. Sharp, reliable. Really strong season for a lot of MIN prospects.— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) May 26, 2020

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