Brad Ratgen: The Case For Playing Nate Prosser Before Deciding on Dumba With the Wild needing to make a decision on Mathew Dumba before he gets 10 games played under his belt, the Wild need to give their 7th/8th d-man on the roster, Nate Prosser, a fair look this season.

Iirc fletcher said the other day it would be a colossal waste of time for Dumba to go back to Red Deer. I'd wager he's here all season. As far as prosser, yeah I'd give him some minutes if I were the coach. I'd also cut Stoner ASAP as I don't think he can even stand on skates well. Colossal waste of a roster spot.

One of the main problems with the Wild is that they really don’t have a reward/consequences system for rotating D-men in and out of the line up. If a guy like Scandella has a bad game, get him out of there. However, to be fair, Scandella should not just be judged by that last game either. So give him another shot after sitting out a game or two.
- Brad Ratgen

In the past, Yeo has always liked to play a guy after a bad game to see how he rebounds. If he has a second bad game as a response, I'd think you'd see him sat down for a game or two. Knowing you may sit due to one bad game could have the defensemen playing a bit too cautious.

I can't really make a case for Scandella over Prosser other than to say the Wild likely see Scandella as a better overall defensemen than Prosser (and Stoner) when he is at his best. The issue seems to be his consistency. I think they will give him every opportunity to work through his inconsistencies and try to establish himself this year as a more reliable defensemen. I don't think sitting him down this early due to one bad game is going to help him through that.

I wonder if we might see the Wild carry 8 defensemen and 12-13 forwards this year instead of the more traditional 7 and 14. I believe there are several forwards they could shuttle between Minnesota and Iowa all year that do not require waivers. That gives them the luxury of holding on to guys like Prosser and Stoner without having to trade or waive one of them. It may also allow them to keep Dumba all year without being forced to play him every game.

I could see Stoner, Scandella, Dumba, and Prosser bouncing in and out of the lineup this year based on who is playing well and/or what kind of lineup Yeo wants to play based on their opponent. If Scandella shows better consistency, he likely has the inside track on playing most games.

Speaking of defensemen, after watching Hotstove Saturday night, listening to the Leaf Report Podcast, and now reading Elliotte Friedman's 30 Thoughts (#14), I'm intrigued by the possible availability of Jake Gardiner.

I think Friedman is speculating Minnesota to be a potential fit because they may have enough young players/prospects to put together a package to get him. Just something to think about if Gardiner is not in the Leafs's long term plans.

Speaking of defensemen, after watching Hotstove Saturday night, listening to the Leaf Report Podcast, and now reading Elliotte Friedman's 30 Thoughts (#14), I'm intrigued by the possible availability of Jake Gardiner.

I think Friedman is speculating Minnesota to be a potential fit because they may have enough young players/prospects to put together a package to get him. Just something to think about if Gardiner is not in the Leafs's long term plans.
- Chinaski

WE ARE THE BORG. ASSIMILATE AT ALL COSTS. MINNESOTA WILD MUST BE ALL MINNESOTA PLAYERS. THAT IS ALL.

I think you're over thinking things a bit Brad. Yeo already knows what he has with Stoner, Prosser and Scandella. Dumba is really the only unknown in the equation. The only truly untapped resource. You can machinate stats all day long, but every Wild fan knows who the two best D men are and it's already become fairly clear that Ballard probably eke's out the 3rd spot. Spurgeon is a nice little player, but if he's not paired with a strong defensive partner, his offensive style of play is pretty much nullified. The afore mentioned other three? Well let's just say they're servicable and leave it at that.

Nothing about Dumbas first game painted a picture of a kid that is ready to step in at the NHL level and take off. Granted it's only one game and I'm sure nerves were a bit frazzled, but he clearly didn't have the mental toughness of Brodin when he stepped in last season and made it very clear that he was ready from the word go. And Brodin was also a much more accomplished and polished player coming into his first season. Dumba is still a bit rough around the edges.

My gut feeling is that he goes back to Red Deer at some point this season. I think if they had any intention of keeping him, they'd be throwing him out there every night to get him up to speed faster. As of this morning he's slotted to be a scratch again tonight against Nashville.