Report: Oilers, Senators interested in Wild's Dumba

The Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators are interested in Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, TSN's Darren Dreger reported Tuesday.

Dumba carries a $6-million cap hit and will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end. He recorded four goals and seven assists in 39 games this season while averaging 21:07 of ice time per contest. His underlying numbers have been poor this year.

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But the 10-year veteran and former seventh overall pick comes with plenty of pedigree. His best season came in 2017-18 when he racked up 14 goals and 36 assists. He's struggled with injuries and inconsistency in the five years since, never cracking 30 points or 70 games.

He also shoots right - a trait among defensemen that's often appealing to teams.

Minnesota is currently in a playoff spot and entered Tuesday sitting third in the Central Division with 47 points. As The Athletic's Michael Russo noted in December, it may require a lateral move or "hockey trade" for the Wild to move Dumba, rather than the typical seller's ask of draft picks and prospects.

The Oilers entered Tuesday hanging on to a wild-card spot, and defense is a clear area of need. Edmonton general manager Ken Holland has scoured the blue-line market, inquiring about the Arizona Coyotes' Jakob Chychrun, the Montreal Canadiens' Joel Edmundson, and just about every potentially available defenseman, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reports.

The Senators, meanwhile, sit seventh in the Atlantic Division and 13th in the Eastern Conference at 18-19-3. That's not the status of a typical buyer, so they may look to extend Dumba as part of a trade.

Ottawa hasn't been shy about its interest in upgrading the blue line. GM Pierre Dorion was unsuccessful in his search for a top-four defenseman in the summer, and the team was linked to Chychrun in September.

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