3 Potential Trade Destinations for Wild Matt Dumba

The Minnesota Wild made defenseman Matt Dumba a healthy scratch on Thursday night as apparently there was a long meeting held, which was productive and Dumba's well aware of why he didn't dress.

Matt Dumba is a healthy scratch tonight for the #mwild. pic.twitter.com/ifx7rNc7cv
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) January 19, 2023

Dumba's name has been linked to several teams of late, as the Wild will consider moving their pending free agent defenseman, only if a fair return is coming back as general manager Bill Guerin is trying to win a Stanley Cup this season. Here's a few teams who should be considered potential destinations for the right-handed defenseman:

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins and Guerin have a close relationship and there could be a match here. The Penguins have dealt with major injuries to Jeff Petry and Kris Letang and could use some more depth on their right side. Youngsters Ty Smith and Pierre-Oliver Joseph have filled in and done a good job this season, however Dumba would be a huge upgrade over both.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins are looking to add one piece up front and one right-handed d-man to their mix before March 3. The Bruins are dominating the league this season so if they are able to add a player like Dumba, they could become even scarier to match up against. If the Wild were to retain some of his $6 million salary for the rest of this season, they'd easily land a first round pick from Boston.

Ottawa Senators

The Senators are looking to add before the NHL trade deadline as management doesn't want to give up on this season. The Sens have held discussions for Jakob Chychrun, they've talked to Chicago about Seth Jones and they've discussed a Dumba deal with Guerin and the Wild. So far, no deals, however expect to see Senators GM Pierre Dorion remain very aggressive on the blue line market ahead of March 3.

Dreger on Insider Trading says both the Sens and Oilers have reached out to the Wild about Matt Dumba. He's a pending UFA. Problem from Wild standpoint, they need him, they're playing pretty well right now, they're not sure they are ready to move on from Dumba.
— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) January 11, 2023