The 2017 NHL Expansion Draft is less than a week away and already the league has seen a big trade in Jonathan Drouin as well as a ton of trade rumors surrounding just about every team. With teams expected to make their protected player lists public a few days before the draft, there’s bound to be plenty of action for fans to follow and digest.
Now, on to the latest trade rumor!
The Minnesota Wild have reportedly received “quality” trade offers for defensemen Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba according to the StarTribune. That’s a pretty substantial rumor, but it’s one of the more believable ones due to the fact the Wild won’t have enough space to protect all of the players they’d probably wish to protect. Instead of potentially losing a strong talent to the draft, they may be willing to make a deal in advance to secure a future asset.
The report indicates that the team has received “strong offers” for both players, but particularly for Brodin. At 23, Brodin is an attractive option as he’s under contract for four more seasons (at a cap hit of $4,166,667 per year) and recently set a new career high with 25 points in 68 games in 2016-17.
Meanwhile, Dumba is one year younger but only has one year remaining on his current contract which carries a $2,550,000 cap hit. However, he’s the more gifted option when it comes to offense, tallying 34 points in 76 games last year.
The report doesn’t go into too much detail, but it does mention that the Montreal Canadiens might be interested and might be willing to part with Alex Galchenyuk.
Just about every NHL team could use a player like Brodin or Dumba in their defensive group. Considering both players are still young and are already demonstrating some outstanding talent, teams may be salivating over what the future may bring by landing either player.
