Canucks: Exploring a possible trade for Matt Dumba

Minnesota Wild defenceman Matt Dumba is reportedly on the trade block. Should the Vancouver Canucks try to make a move for him?

Before Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning thinks about making any more blockbuster trades, he has to make some decisions on his pending UFAs and RFAs.

Starting goalie Jacob Markstrom, veteran defenceman Chris Tanev and forward Tyler Toffoli are all pending UFAs. Adam Gaudette, Jake Virtanen and Troy Stecher are pending RFAs, and the latter two have arbitration rights.

Let’s just assume here that Benning loses Markstrom, Tanev and at least one of the other four players mentioned above. Well, he’ll at least have plenty of cap space to acquire a serious impact player. Without a doubt, the priority is upgrading the blue line.

Enter Minnesota Wild defenceman Matt Dumba.

On Monday, the Wild handed reliable rearguard and defensive stalwart Jonas Brodin a seven-year extension worth $42 million. After this was announced, Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) reported that Minnesota GM Bill Guerin has been shopping Dumba.

Trading a 26-year-old top-four blueliner in his prime doesn’t usually make sense, but the Wild are rich on the back end. They already have Brodin, ageless workhorse Ryan Suter and the vastly underrated Jared Spurgeon signed to long-term deals.

Chances are if you took a scroll through Canucks Twitter on Monday, you saw Dumba-for-Brock Boeser trade proposals. In fact, Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province examined that possibility, noting that Boeser and Dumba carry similar cap hits.

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Boeser, of course, just finished the first of a three-year bridge deal worth $17.625 million. Dumba has three seasons left on a five-year, $30 million deal he signed in the 2018 offseason.

One can’t help but think the Canucks would have to give up more than Boeser in a possible trade, however.

Reliable top-four and smooth-skating defencemen in their primes are harder to find than capable 30-goal and 50 to 60-point forwards, after all. Dumba is just two years removed from a 50-point season, and he’s only three years older than Boeser.

Would Boeser and a first-round pick do it? That might be a little steep if you’re Benning. But maybe Boeser and Virtanen would be enough to get it done.

What about Boeser and possibly Alexander Edler, who could fill the top-four void in Minnesota? That would only make sense if Benning already thinks he doesn’t want to extend Edler after next year, though.

Otherwise, maybe Boeser and one of Vancouver’s many talented defencemen prospects — Olli Juolevi, Jack Rathbone or Jalen Chatfield — get it done.

The Wild appear to be in retooling mode. With so many ageing and expensive veterans on the roster, they can’t exactly start a rebuild. So Guerin will surely want pieces that can help him win both now and in the long run. Boeser would fit that bill, as would a promising blue line prospect.

The Canucks only have Quinn Hughes and Tyler Myers in their long-term picture on defence. Tanev and Oscar Fantenberg are pending UFAs, and Edler and Jordie Benn can hit free agency next year.

Vancouver will need more than Hughes and Myers to fill out the back end, and Dumba would be an excellent addition to that group.

So if the price is right, the Canucks need to push hard for Dumba, who would bring immediate results to a defensive unit that’s been a weak link for the better part of the past decade.