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Wild, Pominville ‘going back and forth’ about contract extension

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Minnesota acquired Jason Pominville at last year’s deadline knowing it wasn’t a rental situation, but something more long term.

Now the two sides are discussing how long term it’ll be.

“They’ve talked a few times for sure and are going back and forth about what the plans are,” Pominville told the Minnesota Star-Tribune. “We’ll just go day by day and see if both sides can make progress and go from there.”

Pominville, 30, is in the final year of a five-year, $26.5 million deal that carries an average annual cap hit of $5.3 million (Buffalo did retain some of his cap hit, so the Wild are only on the hook for $4.505 million this year).

Considering the Wild gave up first- and second-round picks, Johan Larsson and Matt Hackett in the trade, it’s not surprising they’d like to keep Pominville around past this year.

It’s also not surprising to hear Pominville wants to stick with a team that gave up so much to get him.

“They committed to getting me, so just that means a lot to me and being part of a group that is committed to having success and being in a city that loves hockey, that makes it even better,” he explained. “I want to stay and be part of what they’re building.”

Will be interesting to learn where the two sides sit on terms and financial compensation.

Minnesota won’t have a ton of pressing free agent issues this offseason (Dany Heatley is probably the biggest one next to Pominville), but will have RFAs Nino Niederreiter and Darcy Kuemper to deal with.

That said, the club will likely have some big decisions in 2015-16 when a trio of its coveted young talents -- Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle and Jonas Brodin -- all become restricted.