The Minnesota Wild are coming off their first win of the season – blanking the Ottawa Senators 2-0 on Monday – and look to make it two in a row when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
The Wild aren’t much to look at on paper, but they’re not lacking talent altogether and new general manager Bill Guerin is particularly impressed with defenceman Mathew Dumba.
“He’s been great. This guy brings energy every single day,” Guerin said during an appearance on Hockey Central at Noon. “He’s got an edge to him. He’s a smart kid, he’s well-spoken, but then there’s that edge to him. He’s a little bit abrasive. He plays that way on the ice. He’s a character. You need good character in your dressing room, but you also need characters and he’s one of those guys that brings life to the game.
“I mean, every night the kid is on and you have to have that. He’s the one that prevents locker rooms from being quiet, from being dead. We’re lucky to have this guy.”
The 25-year-old is hoping for a bounce-back campaign after missing the final 50 games of 2018-19 due to a ruptured right pectoralis muscle sustained in December.
Dumba, who is under contract through 2022-23, has a goal and an assist in five games this season.
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