Pominville still connected to Vanek, and everybody knows it
Almost daily, Jason Pominville will get recognized around the Twin Cities. He’s always flattered, although inevitably the Wild winger knows where the conversation will usually end up.
It takes mere minutes for hockey-mad Wild and Gophers fans to ask Pominville if his former Buffalo Sabres teammate, Thomas Vanek, will soon be reuniting with him in Minnesota.
“It’s funny,” said Pominville, the former Sabres captain who faces his former team and buddy for the first time Monday night. “It feels like I answer that question at least once or twice a day. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out. He’s a very smart guy and talented player. I’m sure he’ll take his time and make the best decision when the time comes.”
Vanek, the former Gophers star who helped lead the University of Minnesota to a national championship in 2003, can become a free agent July 1. The winless Sabres are in rebuild mode, so many assume Vanek is a goner and have pegged the goal-scorer as Wild-bound.
Vanek, the Sabres co-captain who lives in Stillwater during the offseason, owns a piece of the city’s Lumberyard Hockey and Sports Center and trains at Mariucci Arena, is aware #PariseWatch and #SuterWatch on Twitter two summers ago has already turned into #VanekWatch in Minnesota
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