The Pittsburgh Penguins waived Matt Dumba today which means the Toronto Maple Leafs may have a new defenseman soon.
The Toronto Maple Leafs hit the jackpot after grabbing Troy Stecher off waivers, so the same thing could happen with 31-year-old Dumba. Ever since the right-handed defenseman played with the Minnesota Wild, it feels like he's been rumored to join the blue-and-white, and it kind of makes sense.
Despite being a smaller defenseman, Dumba has always played with an edge, unafraid to make the big hit and that's a player that Toronto has longed for. He had a breakout year during the 2017-2018 season finishing with 14 goals and 50 points and hasn't been very close to reaching that mark since, but Toronto just needs healthy bodies.
Currently carrying a $3.75M cap-hit, Dumba is a pending UFA and needs to prove himself with one more team or he may not have a job next year, which is why Toronto is the perfect fit. Not only that, but they're a fantastic place for him to play because their blue-line is very unhealthy, especially after Oliver Ekman-Larsson's injury last night.
Leafs may look to add Dumba
Although Dumba isn't the player he once was, the Leafs desperately need a right-handed defenseman, and he's clearly a better option than Henry Thun.
Toronto is such a weird team right now because although their defense is depleted, Dennis Hildeby is standing on his head keeping this team afloat. Despite losing to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night, Hildeby played great and his .933 SV % and 2.25 GAA is among some of the best stats in the NHL.
The team still needs to add defenseman around him, but Hildeby could be the savior of the team at this point. It feels very reminiscient to Jordan Binnington in 2019 with the St. Louis Blues, which is the team that current Leafs head coach Craig Berube coached to a Stanley Cup.
Whether or not the Leafs end up adding Dumba or not, Hildeby's play will be the biggest factor as to whether or not the Leafs can make the playoffs, but it would still be fun to see Dumba become a Leaf.