However, Toronto's search for blue-line help extends past Dumba, as one NHL executive told Friedman the Leafs are "investigating every good defenseman on the market."
Dumba is in the midst of one of his worst seasons, as he's collected just 16 points through 50 games - a far cry from the 50-point campaign he had in 2017-18, or the 57-point pace he played at last year before a torn pectoral muscle ended his season after 32 games.
The 25-year-old would give the Leafs a much-needed right-handed shooting defenseman with term, as he's signed for three more years after this season with a $6-million cap hit. Toronto's right side currently features Tyson Barrie, Justin Holl, and Cody Ceci, but only Holl is signed beyond this season.
Minnesota drafted Dumba seventh overall in 2012, two picks after Toronto selected Morgan Rielly.
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Today is bounce-back day.
After sweeping the board Monday we settled for a 1-2 record Tuesday, thanks to an insanely frustrating finish in Buffalo.
We had some limited options with just two games on the schedule - something we definitely don't have to worry about Wednesday.
GOATs and scapegoats
Ryan O'Reilly played a starring role for the St. Louis Blues (+105) Tuesday, assisting on the game-tying goal in the third period, doing a masterful job on the penalty kill in overtime, and scoring a beauty in the shootout, helping us salvage a winning end to the night.
The reason we had to salvage something was because of a putrid Buffalo Sabres' penalty kill. The Ottawa Senators went 3-for-3 on the power play for the first time all season. We needed Jack Eichel to finish with a positive plus-minus, and he was on track to in the dying minutes, sitting at plus-one thanks to his goal. However, the Sabres were also losing late because of that pathetic excuse for a penalty kill, and Eichel was on the ice trying to tie the game when Ottawa scored into an empty net. Perfect.
Wednesday's bets
Nashville Predators/Washington Capitals over 6.5 (-105)
Alex Ovechkin returns to the ice tonight having served his one-game suspension for skipping the All-Star Game, and I'd imagine he's got a bit of an on-ice statement prepared. The Capitals can score in bunches and so can the Predators, who also struggle to keep pucks out of their net. The over is 5-0 in Nashville's last five games as underdogs, as well as 5-0 in the last five meetings between these teams.
Anaheim Ducks (+110)
The Arizona Coyotes were putting together a strong season but were largely flying under the radar as the small-market team they are. That all changed when Taylor Hall was acquired. The bandwagon started to fill up after the trade, but the Coyotes are just 7-8-1 since bringing in the former MVP. They've also lost four consecutive on the road (scoring just four goals) and six of their last seven. This is a team struggling to win and score outside of the desert, now facing one of the world's best goalies in the Ducks' John Gibson, who has remarkably better numbers in Anaheim this season.
Los Angeles Kings' team total under 2.5 (-120)
The game under could also be a play here, but there's always the risk of the Tampa Bay Lightning scoring six on their own. The Kings have scored two or fewer goals in six of their last eight home games and have been held to one or fewer in each of those games against teams of comparable skill level to Tampa. The Lightning are allowing just 1.8 goals per game in 2020 and the Kings are 30th in the NHL in goals scored all season. Trust Tampa's resurgence tonight in Los Angeles.
Best bet
Dallas Stars (-115)
The Toronto Maple Leafs' road numbers under Sheldon Keefe are impressive. They're 11-4 outside of Toronto since he took over, as well as 8-1 on the road against Western Conference teams. But the Stars are an entirely different beast. They're 16-5-1 at home since Oct. 18 and have some of the best underlying numbers in the NHL. They're a fundamentally sound hockey team that is more equipped to take advantage of the Leafs' defensive frailties.
As hard as it might be to overlook Toronto's road numbers, trust in the better team to get the job done tonight on home ice.
Trend of the night
The Vancouver Canucks have lost eight of their nine games against the San Jose Sharks in California over the last four seasons (including this one).
Even more remarkably, the Canucks have scored a meager 16 goals in those nine games, and just 11 in the eight losses. But how seriously should we take Vancouver's struggles in San Jose considering both teams are significantly different this season than they were over the last three? The Canucks are drastically improved and sitting atop the Pacific Division, while the Sharks, perennial Stanley Cup contenders, are near the basement of the Western Conference. Because of that I'm not putting as much stock into this trend, and it's a no-play for me.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
"Hey, listen. I thought I got enough good shots in there," Kassian told Sportsnet's Mark Spector, referring to the last meeting between the two clubs.
"This isn't the 80s. We're not just going to line brawl. Look at the standings. It's going to be a hard-fought, intense game. But we really have to play between the lines."
After the Jan. 11 incident, Kassian - who received a two-game suspension - and Tkachuk got into a highly publicized war of words, and even though Kassian's stance appears to have mellowed, he won't pass up a chance to take a shot at his nemesis if it's within the rules.
"I thought, what happened on the ice, I handled it for the most part," Kassian said. "I got punishment, and that's that. Obviously we don't like each other. Obviously, if Tkachuk has the puck and I can hit him clean, I'm not going to pass on it, right? But that's the game of hockey. I don't think anyone is going to pass on a hit - especially in the Battle of Alberta."
The Oilers enter Wendesday's game one point back of the Flames for second place in the Pacific Division with two games in hand. The two clubs will face for a second time this week on Saturday night.
In the fourth edition of theScore's 2019-20 Vezina Trophy Power Rankings, we look at the leading candidates for the award entering the second half of the season.
5. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Scott Audette / National Hockey League / Getty
Record
GAA
xGA/60
SV%
HDSV%
24-9-3
2.55
2.28
.917
.829
The 2018-19 Vezina Trophy winner is officially back in the hunt thanks to a sensational eight-week stretch.
Vasilevskiy rode a 10-game winning streak into the All-Star break, and he's gone 14-1-2 with a .933 save percentage over his last 17 starts. Since Dec. 1, he's posted a goals-against average of 2.19, slightly outplaying his expected goals against of 2.22.
The Russian netminder also gets credit for putting up elite numbers despite carrying a heavy workload. Vasilevskiy is one of just eight goalies with at least 36 starts this season, and he's tied for the lead in save percentage among that group.
4. Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
Norm Hall / National Hockey League / Getty
Record
GAA
xGA/60
SV%
HDSV%
15-8-2
2.17
2.35
.929
.823
Kuemper hasn't played since exiting a Dec. 19 contest with an injury, but his body of work throughout the first three months of the season was so impressive that he can't be omitted from these rankings.
The 6-foot-5 goalie has been the backbone of Arizona's defensive identity this season, and the club hasn't been the same without him. The Coyotes have won just six times in 14 outings since Kuemper went down, and they'll need him to return in Vezina-like form amid an extremely tight Pacific Division race.
Although the injury prevented him from suiting up, the 29-year-old Kuemper also earned his first All-Star Game nod this season.
3. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Record
GAA
xGA/60
SV%
HDSV%
21-16-4
2.74
2.80
.917
.791
Where would the Jets be without Hellebuyck? The Vezina Trophy isn't handed out to the goalie who's deemed the most valuable, but the 26-year-old might be in a position to run away with the award right now if his teammates had given him a bit more defensive help.
Hellebuyck's high-danger save percentage looks rocky compared to the other goalies on this list, but consider this: The Jets have owned a league-worst 41.5% share of high-danger scoring chances at all strengths, and they've conceded 671 such opportunities this season, which is 45 more than the third-last club in that department.
Additionally, the 6-foot-4 puck-stopper has outplayed his expected goals against per 60 minutes and leads the NHL with 8.13 goals saved above average at five-on-five. Despite the Jets' serious defensive struggles, Hellebuyck has been dynamite.
2. Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Record
GAA
xGA/60
SV%
HDSV%
17-4-6
2.27
2.28
.925
.858
Rask rebounded nicely after a shaky month of December, but a concussion has kept him sidelined since Jan. 14.
The Finnish netminder allowed two or fewer goals in six of seven starts prior to the injury, and he owns a .936 save percentage since Christmas. Staying cool under pressure, Rask ranks third in high-danger save percentage among all goalies and sixth (5.61) in goals saved above average (minimum 20 starts).
Although wins and losses are primarily a team stat, the fact that Rask has dropped just four starts in regulation this season speaks volumes about his resilient play.
1. Ben Bishop, Dallas Stars
Ronald Martinez / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Record
GAA
xGA/60
SV%
HDSV%
17-10-3
2.27
2.45
.927
.855
Big Ben has stood tall for a Stars team that ranks 28th in goals for per game, the worst mark among all clubs that are currently in a playoff spot. Meanwhile, Dallas ranks first defensively, in large part due to Bishop's elite play.
The Colorado native has outperformed his expected goals-against average per 60 minutes by the widest margin of all netminders (minimum 20 starts). His expected save percentage is also .115 lower (.912) than his actual mark, which suggests he's often stopping more pucks than he should be.
Bishop has given the Stars a chance to win essentially every night, surrendering more than three goals on just three occasions through 33 starts. If that's not Vezina material, we don't know what is.
Dillon is a throwback. He's recorded just 12 points in 51 games this season, but the 29-year-old is second among NHL blue-liners with 158 hits.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound D-man has managed to post positive possession numbers on a poor Sharks team, owning a 51.5 Corsi For percentage and a 50.4 expected goals percentage, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Dillon carries a $3.27-million cap hit, and he'll be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
The Bruins' blue line is already strong, especially on the left side where Dillon plays. Left-handers Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara eat up a lot of minutes, and Matt Grzelcyk is on pace for a career-high in points. Right-handers Connor Clifton and Kevan Miller are currently sidelined with injuries, but both are expected back this season.
The Hurricanes appear to more urgently need reinforcements on the back end, as stalwart Dougie Hamilton is out indefinitely after breaking his fibula on Jan. 26. However, unlike the Bruins - who hold a comfortable lead in the Atlantic Division - Carolina is in a tight playoff battle. The Hurricanes are a point up on the Philadelphia Flyers for the East's second wild-card spot.
The Sharks sit third last in the Western Conference, and they don't own a first-round pick in 2020. They appear to be gearing up to sell at the trade deadline for just the second time since general manager Doug Wilson was hired in 2003.
