Matt Dumba Strong “Plan B” for Teams that Miss on Seth Jones

According to NBC Sports’ James O’Brien, there’s a strong option for teams looking to improve their blue line and clubs who are thinking about going after Seth Jones but will likely miss out on the coveted defenseman in a trade this offseason. Call it a nice “Plan B” to Jones, but Matt Dumba makes a lot of sense for a number of organizations.

Admitting Jones is the flashy add and a quality player, O’Brien points out that a ton of teams will be in the running and the asking price from the Columbus Blue Jackets will be high, eventually moving Jones to the highest bidder. Because Jones has a modified no-trade list of 10 teams he won’t be traded to, there should still be plenty of opportunity for the Blue Jackets to play teams against each other.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild have a very good defenseman in Dumba, but a bit of a pickle when it comes to the NHL Expansion Draft. The Wild’s top four is strong, but unless they plan to sacrifice a forward in the draft, GM Bill Guerin could struggle to keep everyone.

Adding Dumba over Jones also has some pluses. O’Brien writes:

They’re both 26, can generate offense, and are right-handed defensemen. Dumba almost certainly would cost less in trade assets, and his $6M cap hit runs through 2022-23. His next contract is almost certainly going to be significantly cheaper than what Seth Jones will get. If somehow Dumba costs more/similarly to Jones, then … you probably struck gold, anyway, right?

The point here is that a team looking at Jones, who is getting “off the charts” interest from other teams, might want to start looking at Dumba. Clubs can avoid a bidding war, and potentially pick up Dumba below his trade value. Dumba is locked in for two seasons ($6M), Jones is only in for one ($5.45M) before he wants a massive deal (likely around $8-$9 million per season).

Who Might Be Interested in Dumba

Among the teams that could benefit from looking in Dumba’s direction: Philadelphia Flyers, Winnipeg Jets, Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes and the Buffalo Sabres. All have a need for different reasons, but all teams are already looking at potentially making trades this offseason to shuffle up their roster.

The trick for the Wild is not necessarily taking back a contract for a player they need to protect or will affect the expansion draft. That’s the only reason Dumba would even be on the trade block in the first place.

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