Devan Dubnyk’s career path has been winding, and now he wants to cash in.

"I had the most fun playing hockey I ever had in my career. At the same time, that earning window is small, and sometimes there's opportunities and they can go away on you. I almost had it go away completely last year."

These are the words of current unrestricted free agent, Devan Dubnyk. The 29 year-old former first round pick of the Edmonton Oilers is currently trying to negotiate a new deal with his current club, the Minnesota Wild.

It's interesting because it was just one year ago that Dubnyk was in a similar position, contract-wise. He was an unrestricted free agent struggling to find work. This year, finding work won't be the issue, finding the right contract could be. 

Coming off a Vezina-nominated season (and the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy), Dubnyk has shown he has finally blossomed into the goalie the Oilers thought they were drafting back in 2004. Goalies are a finicky bunch. Sometimes it takes years to come of age and find your path and that was definitely the case for Dubnyk. To say it was the trade to Minnesota that turned his career around would be inaccurate to some extent. If anything, it was working with goalie coach Sean Burke of the Arizona Coyotes that seemed to be eye-opener and game changer for Dubnyk.