Matt Dumba, 18, will return to Western Hockey League Red Deer for the season this morning.
The 2012 first-round pick had been on the roster since last Saturday's opener but hadn't played a game. The Wild has recalled Marco Scandella, and he is expected to play tonight against the St. Louis Blues.
We haven't spoken with Dumba or coach Mike Yeo yet, but Yeo said the other day: "He's participating in practices, he's participating in warmup. For a guy like that to be around NHL players and not only have the chance to skate and practice with them, but to also see how they prepare and how they conduct themselves, it's been very valuable to him."
The interesting thing is Dumba will be ineligible for Houston next fall because he's 19, so he could be in for this type of scenario again.
Matt Cullen is on the ice this morning. Jared Spurgeon has not been placed on injured reserve, so technically he could play Tuesday against Columbus.
Michael Russo has covered the National Hockey League since 1995. He has covered the Minnesota Wild for the Star Tribune since 2005, after 10 years of covering the Florida Panthers for the Sun-Sentinel. He uses “Russo’s Rants” to feed a wide-ranging hockey-centric discussion with readers, and can be heard weekly on KFAN (100.3 FM) radio and seen weekly on Fox Sports North.
Follow @russostrib. Also find Russo on Facebook. Email Michael to talk about hockey.
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