The only win during that time came on Monday, via Marc-Andre Fleury shutout. But if you pull that misnomer victory out of the equation, the Minnesota Wild have allowed 5.6 goals per game in that stretch. Tonight, they’re on the ice again for the second half of a back-to-back.

Minnesota Wild determined to win more games

It gets worse. Yesterday afternoon, the team announced that their struggling blue line will be without Captain, Jared Spurgeon for the remainder of the season, due to hip and back injuries that require separately scheduled surgeries.

Related: Jared Spurgeon Needs Season-Ending Surgeries; Wild Enter Pending UFA Trade Market

John Hynes giving the pregame speech today after hearing the Spurgeon news #mnwild pic.twitter.com/XKKbw8nnCC

— 10,000 Takes (@10k_Takes) January 18, 2024

Still, there’s no sign that Wild president of hockey operations, Bill Guerin, is planning to shut things down for the season, in hopes of more ping pong balls during the draft lottery. According to multiple reports out of The Athletic, Minnesota’s front office has already turned its gaze toward the pending unrestricted free agency trade market, in hopes of finding a suitable 1/2 season replacement for Spurgeon.

Guerin wouldn’t publicly admit that he plans to pull off a hail mary trade but Michael Russo and Joe Smith both seem to expect Billy will do something of significance.

“We’ve got a lot of defensemen here,” Guerin said. “We’ve got six guys playing well right now, two guys in the stands right now that have played well and contributed. Whether we use that (trade market) or not is TBD. We’ll see. We could. I just don’t know yet.”

The Wild’s third pair is currently Dakota Mermis and rookie Daemon Hunt, both left shots. The two “guys in the stands” are veteran defensemen Alex Goligoski (who has played over 1,000 games) and Jon Merrill. You have to wonder what they’re thinking with Guerin indicating he could explore trading for a D-man with them spending the last few games in the press box.

The Athletic

Related: Minnesota Wild Still Shooting for Playoffs but Guerin Admits More Losing Could Change That

I guess we all should expect Guerin, and Wild owner Craig Leipold, to keep grasp of their playoff hopes for as long as possible. Still, trading away any future assets to try and save this season seems like bad business.

But my opinion doesn’t matter. If the Minnesota Wild are dead set on trying to save their season, my thoughts aren’t going to stop them. And now that they’ve turned their attention to the pending UFA trade market, they’ve probably realized already who the most obvious top target should be.

Matt Dumba coming home to replace Jared Spurgeon?

That’s right, it’s Matt Dumba.

One of the more intriguing names is a familiar one: Matt Dumba. The former longtime Wild defenseman checks a lot of the boxes as a pending UFA with not a bad cap hit ($3.9 million) and with familiarity with the team and the area.

The Athletic

Matt Dumba’s video tribute pic.twitter.com/h3YLkmajjZ

— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) January 14, 2024

The Arizona Coyotes are ahead of the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference standings but only by four points. In other words, they are anything but a real Stanley Cup contender. Dumba only signed a one-year contract in Arizona so he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, which is exactly what Guerin is shopping for.

Timing might be the biggest obstacle standing in the way of a Dumba + Wild reunion. The trade deadline isn’t until March 8, so the Arizona Coyotes have more than a month and a half to figure out how they want to handle the deadline and whether or not they will be buyers or sellers.

Related: Another Wild Losing Streak Means… Another Players-Only Meeting

If they indeed go into sell-mode, Dumba will be prime candidate for buying teams to come in and scoop up out of the desert. Unfortunately, if the Minnesota Wild do not get help for their blue line IMMEDIATELY, they won’t be buying anything at the deadline.

That doesn’t mean the Coyotes wouldn’t be willing to part with Matt Dumba now. But the price would probably be a lot higher than it would be in the first week of March, if they are indeed sellers by that point.

With the NHL trade deadline approaching, one of those names appears more likely to be moved than the other two. No, it isn’t Matt Dumba, who gets more and more untradeable by the game. At this point, it again looks like he could escape the trade monster.

Jordan Greenway Trade Imminent?

Insiders, like Michael Russo (The Athletic) aren’t sure the Wild will get an offer intriguing enough to move a top-4 defenseman that they still need in their lineup. Instead, it’s 26-year-old, Jordan Greenway, who Russo says is most likely to be dealt by the 2 PM CT, trade deadline on March 3.

Greenway is expendable because the Wild could re-sign pending restricted free agent Brandon Duhaime for probably half the price this offseason and stick him right to the left of Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno. At 25 years old and 6-foot-6, Greenway would probably be an intriguing name around the league despite his brutal season so far with the Wild. His production is nonexistent: two goals (one an empty-netter) and four assists in 29 games. Plus, he drew the ire of the club Jan. 8 when he overslept, missed pregame meetings and missed a game against St. Louis in the second half of a back-to-back. He put the lineup in an unacceptable bind and is now undoubtedly on the outs.

Michael Russo (The Athletic)

Bill Guerin hoped Greenway would take a step forward in 2022-23. Not only has that dream not come to pass but it’s turned to more of a nightmare. According to reports, Greenway’s healthy scratch in St. Louis earlier this month came after he missed multiple team meetings and showed up late on game night.

Production Fallout

And on the ice, his production has fallen off of a cliff, the opposite of the jump the Wild were hoping to see. His contract once looked like a bargain, but that $3 million per season that he makes is now more than what his play is worth.

Greenway’s point production has dropped into the 24th percentile, according to The Athletic, and he continues to get worse as the season progresses. He’s still a force on defense but that’s not enough to make up for his recent offensive deficiencies and how much of his defensive acumen can be attributed to playing on the same line as Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno?

No-Nonsense Bill Guerin

We know that Bill Guerin is a no-nonsense guy and it seems shocking he’d allow Jordan Greenway to stick around after antics that include missing meetings and being late to games. Especially when this locker room has a rising number of issues that continue to expose themselves publicly.

At 6’6″, 230 pounds and only (almost) 26 years old, Greenway should still have plenty of value on the open market and his contract is much more tradeable than, say, Matt Dumba’s. So if Guerin wants to pull the trigger on a trade that nets him that top-6 center his Wild so badly need, dangling Greenway feels like a perfect starting point.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Ryan Hartman Scratched

On Thursday morning, head coach Dean Evason told Paul Allen on KFAN Radio that Ryan Hartman will take his turn in the Xcel Energy Center press box tonight when the Wild play host to the Philadelphia Flyers. Evason made it clear that Hartman’s recent poor play and propensity to commit stupid penalties are the reason for his benching.

Dean Evason tells @PAOnTheMic on @KFAN1003 that Ryan Hartman will be scratched tonight for #mnwild due to his propensity of penalties.

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 26, 2023

The Wild’s issues run up and down the roster. Key contributors from last year’s team, like Marcus Foligno, Jordan Greenway and Ryan Hartman, have been shells of themselves so far this season. Pair that with disappointing first halves from Matt Boldy and Calen Addison, and it becomes easy to see why this team is struggling to remain part of the NHL playoff conversation.

Do the Minnesota Wild have locker room problems?

But problems bubbling below ice’s surface that might be even more concerning than the results on it. Recent reports suggest the Minnesota Wild have clear issues inside their locker room.

The most jarring reports surround Jordan Greenway, who (according to Michael Russo – The Athletic) has been missing meetings throughout the season and showing up late on game days. That sort of thing is unlike any reports of unprofessionalism within that we’ve heard about previously.

Greenway {arrived} significantly after the Wild’s 4 p.m. meetings for a 6 p.m. game against the Blues (Jan 8), multiple team sources told The Athletic.

While the Wild didn’t suspend him or fine him — teams often let captains levy fines into a player’s fund, Greenway also missed a meeting earlier this season. One thing is for certain: he drew the organization’s scorn with this latest misstep because he put the lineup in an incredible bind on a second of a back-to-back with no extra healthy forwards available to play.

Michael Russo (The Athletic – Jan 12, 2023)

Then there’s Matt Dumba, who was scratched for two straight games last week as trade rumors swirled. Dean Evason pointed to poor play but reports have come out since that some teammates were left scratching their heads on the timing.

Throw flammable material — like Hartman’s on-ice discipline issues and Alex Goligoski’s frustration at his lack of playing time — on top of this already smoking pile problems, and it seems like the entire 2022-23 campaign is in danger of going up in flames.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Time with Minnesota Wild is Ticking

Dumba. himself, even said as much when asked earlier this week about the likelihood he is traded in the next couple of weeks. The writing is clearly on the wall.

Has reality set in that this will be his swan song?

“I mean … yeah,” Dumba said somberly during an interview with The Athletic hours before the Wild’s 4-2 win over the Capitals. “I’m just making the absolute most of it and enjoying every day as a Minnesota Wild player and enjoying just the great group of guys that we have. This has given me a different appreciation of that. I’m trying to make the most of coming to the rink every day with these guys because you never know when things could change. I’m trying to stay in the moment, and that’s how I deal with it.”

Dumba says Wild general manager Bill Guerin has been honest with him and his agents that he could be traded in advance of the deadline. “It’s what I’d expect from a man like him,” Dumba said. “He’s always good to me, always honest.”

The Athletic

Matt Dumba Scratched

On Thursday, trade rumors that were already swirling around Matt Dumba picked up even more steam when head coach, Dean Evason, announced him as a healthy scratch vs the Carolina Hurricanes.

When asked why Dumba was sitting, Evason pointed to his defenseman’s recent play and denied that his benching on Thursday was anything to do with an imminent trade already in the works. It’s hard to question Dean’s explanation, especially given how poorly Dumba has played recently.

No effort here by Matt Dumba on Martin Fehérváry as he allows him to walk into the slot and score 1-0 #allcaps #mnwild pic.twitter.com/7wJgnEOCLp

— Alex Micheletti (@AlexMicheletti) January 18, 2023

Interested Teams Include Ottawa, Edmonton

In the end, it doesn’t matter why Matt Dumba is being benched tonight. Is Dumba sitting because he is about to be traded? Maybe, maybe not. But even if his benching is based on poor play, couldn’t you argue that his poor play has a lot to do with him knowing that his time in Minnesota is almost up?

Who cares, really? What’s clear is that Matt Dumba is on his way out. He knows it, Guerin knows it, we all know it. Reports (TSN) have surfaced saying there are teams interested in him, as well, including the Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers.

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

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

There’s plenty of frustration and waiting. But eventually, traffic is due to break open and suddenly you’re traveling 70 mph in a 55 mph zone. Just a few days ago, Cam Talbot’s agent was yelling at Wild GM, Bill Guerin in a hallway at the draft. Days later, Talbot was traded.

But then the bell rang on free agency and the Wild slowed back down, choosing to sit on the money they saved by trading Talbot. Guerin told media on Wednesday that’s because the roster is mostly set. Sure it is, Billy.

#mnwild GM Bill Guerin said the team didn't feel the need to rush today.

"I just don’t feel the need to go out and just sign somebody that we’re maybe lukewarm on or don’t love. I just want to be patient.”

Also mentioned a trade as a possibility to bring in a depth forward.

— Sarah McLellan (@sarah__mclellan) July 13, 2022

Guerin Shopping Dumba Behind the Scenes

The Minnesota Wild have just $4.6 million remaining in cap space and they still have to set some of that aside for Marco Rossi, Calen Addison or Adam Beckman who might make the NHL roster next season. So, what’s the plan?

Well, according to Michael Russo (The Athletic), Bill Guerin is quietly shopping Matt Dumba, who’s entering the final year of a deal that counts for $6 million against the cap in 2022-23 (03:00 minute mark – transcribed below).

“My radar is up on Bill Guerin right now. Even though he constantly tells us how much he wants to keep Matt Dumba. In the last little while, I’m getting the impression from a lot of league sources that he has sort of quitely shopped Matt Dumba to just gauge if there’s any interest. From what I’ve been told, there hasn’t been a lot of interest. But if suddenly, that was something he could do, would he maybe move on from Matt Dumba and create a lot of cap space? We’ll see in the next little while.” – Michael Russo (The Athletic – Live Q&A)

Reading the Market Tea Leaves

Russo talks about a Dumba trade three different times during this live Q&A he did with The Athletic subscribers on Thursday. Sometimes, he was prompted by questions but the quote above was part of his opening, before he started taking questions from the 1000 live listeners.

Awhile later, he dove into Dumba’s expiring contract and the paycut he’d have to take if he wanted to make things work with the Wild (down to $4.5m/yr). And if an extension isn’t possible, is Bill Guerin willing to lose Matt Dumba for free? Those are the questions Russo is asking himself (30:20 mark above).

“I hate to be the broken record for the last 10 years, but the other [possible trade candidate] would be Dumba.There’s going to be two options for Dumba this year (other than losing him for nothing). He’s going to have to get traded or he’s going to have to sign an extension in the $4.5 million range. He’s going to have to take a significant haircut if he wants to stay. I do get the impression from people around the league that [Guerin] has quietly shopped him.” – Michael Russo (The Athletic – Live Q&A)

Possible Trade Partners

As Russo pointed out multiple times, trading Matt Dumba is (and has been) difficult. Takers are not plentiful. But as the market shakes out over the coming days, interest could spike and Guerin could choose to seize the opportunity.

The only team pointed out specifically was the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have apparently been very interested in Dumba previously.

Buckle up, Minnesota Wild fans. As long as Bill Guerin is running this show, anything is possible. I know Dumba trade rumors have flown freely throughout his career with the Wild but, if Billy is now open to trading his $6 million forward, it might just be a matter of time.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Minnesota Wild learned today they will have a finalist for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. Defenseman Matt Dumba, along with Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and Devils defenseman PK Subban were all named finalists for the award. The King Clancy Memorial Trophy is awarded to the NHL player “who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community”.

#mnwild have a King Clancy finalist for the second consecutive season. Jason Zucker won the honor last year.

It’s beyond impressive all the good deeds Matt Dumba does in this community pic.twitter.com/GdpxcNcjuD

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) August 14, 2020

CHARITABLE EFFORTS ALL OVER

Dumba spearheads countless charitable efforts in Minnesota. Matt has been integral in efforts to help rebuild Lake Street. As well as helping fight forest fires in his home country of Australia. Dumba has donated to countless other organizations as well during his time with the Wild.

Matt Dumba and his brother Kyle teamed up to create a pair of one-of-a-kind painted skates that you can bid on with proceeds going to help rebuild the many BIPOC-owned businesses on @VisitLakeStreet in Minneapolis. #mnwild https://t.co/WKlad0hQ8Y

— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) August 8, 2020

Dumba has also been very vocal in efforts to stop police brutality. You may have seen him either kneeling for the National Anthem during the NHL Qualifying round series or raising a fist. Jason Zucker won the award for the Wild last year. It would be nice to see the Wild get some sort of hardware this season. Congratulations to Matt Dumba!

Seth Toupal | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Minnesota Wild find themselves needing to respond in the Stanley Cup qualifying round, after losing Game 2 to the Vancouver Canucks 4-3. Through those first two games, Kevin Fiala has been absurdly good but he can’t carry the team’s scoring by himself. If the Wild are going to win this series they’ll need more from a few different guys…. and a change at goalie.

MATS ZUCCARELLO, RW

After signing a lucrative five-year, $30 million dollar contract with the Wild last July, Zuccarello’s first two playoff games in a Wild sweater have been extremely underwhelming. With 75-career playoff games under his belt, you would expect Zuccarello to come out with a little bit more juice than he has.

The passing and vision is all there but he needs to start showing up on the scoresheet if the Wild have any hopes of getting past the Canucks. So far, Zuccarello has mustered up a complete goose egg in every statistical category. He just hasn’t seemed to mesh with current linemates Marcus Foligno and Alex Galchenyuk.

Zulgad: No return on investment: Mats Zuccarello’s underwhelming ways continue in Wild’s return https://t.co/H4QFmvk2Tn pic.twitter.com/1ZlclAvWf8

— SKOR North (@SKORNorth) August 5, 2020

MY SOLUTION: Bump Zuccarello up to the top-line with Eric Staal and Kevin Fiala.

JORDAN GREENWAY, LW

Coming in at a mammoth 6’6”, 225 lbs, Greenway has been gifted the tools to be a top power-forward in the NHL. There’s one problem though… he never seems to use those god-given talents while on the ice. He is a player that has the ability to change the momentum of the game with just one shift. I have seen way too much hesitancy in his game and not nearly enough grit and power. I want to see Greenway simplify his game. Dump pucks in, retrieve them, and go to work beneath the dots in the offensive zone with his linemates. It’s time for the big rig to play big again.

Luke Kunin and Jordan Greenway chirping from the bench. pic.twitter.com/g0SFHdeOdh

— Hockey Wilderness (@hockeywildernes) August 3, 2020

MY SOLUTION: Get Greenway in a more simplified role and pair him back up with Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno.

MATT DUMBA, D

Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin have had an incredible playoff series thus far. But it’s been a fairly quiet one for arguably the Wild’s most dynamic defenseman, Matt Dumba. With a stud like Quinn Hughes on the other side of things, the Wild need Dumba to get cooking before their steak is all burnt up. Like a lot of highly-skilled defensemen do from time-to-time, far too often I see Dumba trying to make that “perfect” play or attempting to force things that aren’t there.

The thing that makes Dumba great is his rocket of a shot from the blue line. He also brings a ton of physicality in the open ice. I don’t see the drought lasting much longer for Dumba. He is just one big goal or one big hit away from becoming himself again.

Matt Dumba literally saves a goal to keep the score 3-1. #mnwild #canucks pic.twitter.com/RBEiWaNOBe

— Giles Ferrell (@gilesferrell) August 5, 2020

MY SOLUTION: Put Dumba on the top power-play in place of Ryan Suter and let him drop bombs from the point.

WHO WILL DEAN EVASON PUT IN NET FOR GAME 3?

I would be crazy to blame that ugly game two loss against the Canucks on Alex Stalock. You could make the case that none of the four goals allowed were even his fault. Two of them were strange bounces and the other two were absolute snipe shows. That being said, I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that Evason might be pondering the decision to go with Devan Dubnyk in game three (Thursday, 1:30 CT, FSN/NHLN).

Now why do I say this? Heading into this series, there was already uncertainty surrounding the Wild’s goaltending situation. Do they go with the experience of Dubnyk? Do they go with the hot-hand towards the end of the season in Stalock? Or do they even give the promising young Kaapo Kähkönen a look? Evason evidently chose to go with Stalock. While it worked in the first game, game two was a whole different story. The Wild got outplayed in just about every aspect of the game in Game 2.

TIME TO SHAKE THINGS UP

In my opinion, the Wild have always seemed to play better defensively when they have a calming presence in the blue paint. With his experience and calm demeanor, Dubnyk can provide that for the Wild. On the other side of things, Stalock’s roadrunner playing style has proven to bring anxiety to the lineup more often than not. You just can’t be swimming around in the crease with guys like Elias Petterson, Brock Boeser, J.T. Miller, Bo Horvat and co. lurking around in the shadows. All of the momentum is on the Canucks side right now. Changing your goaltender can help gain that momentum back heading into the game.

So, getting to my point, I think Stalock starting in net is more of a systematic issue for the Wild than a simple “this-guy-is-better-than-this-guy” one. Does Alex Stalock deserve to come out of the lineup? No. But I think this team has a better opportunity to win against a high-flying team off the rush like the Canucks with a veteran, calming presence in net. And you don’t think Dubnyk has a chip on his shoulder after losing his starting job this year? If it were me, I would go with Dubnyk in game three. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Jake Jensen | Minnesota Sports Fan

But, he was very clear about one thing. Bruce Boudreau will be here next year and it’s not because of pressure from Craig Leipold (which some wondered). It wasn’t a huge surprise after it was announced that Bruce would be available today. Normally, you wouldn’t have Bruce by your side if he was about to get fired.

.@mnwild GM Paul Fenton: "Bruce is my coach next year. I have total confidence in him." pic.twitter.com/WcXdBXhX1Z

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) April 9, 2019

Fenton is clearly upset about any injury reports that have leaked to the media, and then to the fans, because he went over it and back to it multiple times and was audibly frustrated when discussing those issues. He’s smart about it though. He takes the approach that makes the PC media unable to question it: ‘Our game is dangerous and leaking injury specifics or reporting on them puts our players in immediate serious danger.’ – summarizing Fenton’s comments during the press conference (see full video below because FSN kept those parts off of their Twitter feed)

He also gave updates on some of the players dealing with injuries including Koivu, Parise, Dumba, and Suter (most of our team).

Fenton on injured players: Dubnyk, Parise will get better with rest, Koivu, Dumba will be ready by training camp.

Still won’t talk specifics

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 9, 2019

Fenton on injured players: Dubnyk, Parise will get better with rest, Koivu, Dumba will be ready by training camp.

Still won’t talk specifics

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 9, 2019

And, what are you going to do with all of these funds during the offseason, Paul?

"I'm not just going to spend to spend."

GM Paul Fenton wants to build a younger, faster @mnwild roster pic.twitter.com/lPrUsqMs5B

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) April 9, 2019

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

News broke just a bit ago that Mikko Koivu was sent back to Minnesota (the Wild are currently on a Canadian road trip) to be evaluated by team doctors. Koivu’s injury stems from a hit last night by Mark Giordano, who earned himself a two-game suspension for said cheap-shot.

NEWS: #mnwild⁠ ⁠ GM Paul Fenton tells media Mikko Koivu will miss tonight’s game in Edmonton. He flew home to Minnesota from Calgary to be evaluated.

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) December 7, 2018

Here’s the @NHLPlayerSafety‘s video explaining Giordano’s injury

Check out Koivu’s left leg at moment of collision and aftermath as it crashes in the wall….He could have multiple issues…

Pretty clear this may be awhile https://t.co/G05VajPlXr

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) December 8, 2018

As you can see in this video provided by NHL.com, Giordano is a little bitch. Even more unfortunate, the early rumors swirling about Koivu’s injury don’t seem to be positive. How could they after this bullshit?

Look at Koivu’s leg. Nothing that looks like that ends up healthy afterward. This is bad news, Wild fans…

Here is another angle of the hit. In this one, you can see that Koivu knows something is bad right away and is obviously pissed off about the dirty hit.

pic.twitter.com/jxgLFMlDmJ

— Giles Ferrell (@gilesferrell) December 7, 2018

Another Flame Suspended After Wild Game

Ryan Lomberg got all high and mighty last night. Matt Dumba LEGALLY lit up Mikael Backlund and some Flamers took offense to it. Lomberg wanted to play hero. Now he will sit for two games after 2 different 1-game suspensions for this idiocy:

The Wild will start the second of a back-to-back shortly tonight vs Edmonton as we wait to hear about the results from Mikko Koivu’s evaluation.

Eric Strack
Minnesota Sports Fan

 

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#msfdaily : a fucking shutout…. onto Edmonton. #mnwild #minnesotawild #wild #gowild #letsplayhockey #mnwildfan #mnwildhockey #wildhockey #minnesotawildhockey #minnesotahockey #stateofhockey #flames #calgary #calgaryflames #edmonton #oilers #edmontonoilers #nhl #nationalhockeyleague

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