Wild make a crazy decision with Matt Dumba

According to a report from Minnesota Wild insider Michael Russo, Wild defenseman Matt Dumba will be a healthy scratch for tonight's game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Dumba, of course, has been at the center of trade rumors for seemingly years now in Minnesota but things have really ramped up the past few weeks. Today's news won't help dissuade those rumors and in fact, there's speculation out there that Dumba may in fact be involved in a trade as we speak.

From Russo:

The 28 year old Dumba is a pending unrestricted free agent and he's actually having a bit of a down season this year. He's managed just four goals and 12 points in 48 games this season after putting up 27 points in just 57 games last season. With the Wild facing a cap crunch next season thanks to a whopping $14 million cap hit for Zach Parise's and Ryan Suter's contract buyouts, there's simply no room left for Dumba... especially if he's going to continue to underperform.

To me, Dumba represents the perfect deadline day rental and personally I wouldn't be surprised if the Wild keep him themselves as a bit of an "own rental". Then again, if GM Bill Guerin gets an offer that he can't refuse he should jump on the opportunity. And given Guerin's history so far with this team, I wouldn't be surprised if he pulls off a deal centered around Dumba before the trade deadline this March. Stay tuned.

As for the rest of the roster, look for Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon to continue to munch up most of the minutes on the Wild's blueline moving forward. Veterans Jacob Middleton, Alex Goligoski and Jon Merrill should help stabilize things and they'll be looking for 22 year old Calen Addison to continue his development into a top four defender. As for Dumba... well... his career has been a pretty mixed bag in Minny. I think at this point of his career that a change of scenery would benefit both him and the Wild. Stay tuned because Dumba will be a player to watch as we get closer to the trade deadline.