Photo credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
According to reports, the Pittsburgh Penguins are placing Matt Dumba on waivers Friday as the Maple Leafs could turn to him for some insurance on the blueline.
It was a trade that had a lot of polarizing opinions regarding who came out with the better deal, but nonetheless it’s a deal that is going to impact both the Oilers and Penguins’ futures this season.
However it also had some repercussions for others on the roster as the Penguins are looking to shed some salary in order to make room for their new acquisitions.
Penguins to place veteran defenseman Dumba on waivers
According to reports, the Penguins intend to waive defenseman Matt Dumba on Friday, as teams will then have a chance to claim the veteran blueliner.
The news was later confirmed by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on X:
As the Penguins announced earlier today, Matt Dumba is on waivers
It spells an end to Dumba’s short tenure in Pittsburgh, having been acquired in July for a 2028 second-round pick and prospect Vladislav Kolyachonok.
He appeared in 11 games this season for Pittsburgh, recording three points (1 goal, 2 assists), a minus-five, 11 PIM, 12 hits and 16 blocks in 14:56 TOI.
For his career, Dumba has 261 points in 768 games (85 goals, 176 assists), 879 blocks, 1,104 hits, and a plus-one in 20:00 average TOI.
There are several teams who are looking to add to their blueline, and a perfect spot for Dumba might end up being the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Why the Maple Leafs should claim Matt Dumba off waivers
Also to note, the team is heavy on left-handed shots with only Troy Stecher the right-handed shot in the lineup; the team does have Philippe Myers but he’s been used as an extra the past couple of games.
Dumba would give them a reliable right-handed presence and bring and improvement over names like Myers, or newcomer Henry Thrun who was just recalled due to Dakota Mermis’ injury (another depth player).
Toronto has no real other options unless they want to make a trade with one of their extra forwards like Matias Maccelli; who hasn’t played in the last six games and has fallen out of favor with Craig Berube quickly.
So a waiver claim is likely their best course of action if they want to insure their blueline, and it looks like Matt Dumba is one of their best options.
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Opportunity opens for Maple Leafs as a right-shot defenseman hits waivers
Should the Maple Leafs claim Matt Dumba off waivers?