1. Mathew Dumba
Cap hit: $6 million
Term: 3 years remaining after the 2019-20 season
Clauses: Modified no-trade clause starting in 2021-22
The Minnesota Wild are going to entertain offers for star defenseman Mathew Dumba, according to Dreger. He was the only specific Wild player Dreger named during his Insider Trading segment. Trading Dumba would signify a true rebuild for the franchise. The Wild would be trading their best player.
They don’t have to rush a trade, as his modified NTC doesn’t start until July 1, 2021. However, trading Dumba now could net the Wild a significant haul that would help jumpstart their rebuild. It would make no sense to trade him for anything less than a huge haul, which is why the Wild might want to hold off unless Dumba heats up.
In 42 games this season, he has 13 points. That’s a pretty big decline from what he has done in recent seasons. Last season, Dumba put up 22 points in 32 games. The season before that, he had 50 points in 82 games.
Potential Fits
The thing about Dumba is there’s enough term left on his contract for it to make sense for a non-contending team to trade for him. I’m sure the Toronto Maple Leafs will at least call the Wild about him if he’s on the market. They could sure use someone with his two-way game and offensive prowess.
My gut tells me the Washington Capitals could be a dark horse team for Dumba. Nick Jensen is struggling and Radko Gudas only has one year left on his deal, so Dumba could give the Capitals a more certain future on the right side. They’d have to get creative thanks to their cap space situation, though. The New Jersey Devils might be interested as well, depending on what they decide to do with P.K. Subban and Sami Vatanen.