Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin has gauged the market for defenseman Mathew Dumba.

"Guerin has not only gotten a lot of calls on Dumba this offseason, he has even actively shopped him," sources told The Athletic's Michael Russo.

The Wild signed defenseman Jonas Brodin to a seven-year, $42 million extension, which includes a no-movement clause, on Tuesday. That makes him, along with fellow blue-liners Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon, automatically protected in next year's expansion draft - and Dumba potentially expendable in a trade.

Dumba has three seasons remaining at a $6 million cap hit, and as a 26-year-old right-handed shot, he should have plenty of suitors.

The Saskatchewan native was drafted seventh overall by the Wild in 2012. He's suited up in 411 games with the organization and is coming off a season in which he recorded 24 points while averaging over 22 minutes per night and chipped in 98 hits and 88 blocks.

Dumba won the King Clancy Trophy earlier in September, an award given annually to the player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community."

He received the honor after co-founding the Hockey Diversity Alliance and giving an impassioned speech addressing racial issues before a playoff game between the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks. He then became the first NHL player to kneel during the "Star-Spangled Banner."

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The Tampa Bay Lightning will attempt to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final without their leading scorer.

Lightning forward Brayden Point is unavailable for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final versus the New York Islanders on Tuesday night, head coach Jon Cooper announced, according to The Athletic's Joe Smith.

Point suffered an injury in Game 2, missed Game 3, then returned for Game 4. Holding a 3-1 series lead, Cooper said his team is trying to "manage" the undisclosed ailment.

The 24-year-old center has been sensational this postseason, notching 25 points in 16 games.

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Florida Panthers assistant coach Mike Kitchen won't return to the club next season, the team announced Tuesday.

The reason wasn't specified, but TSN's Frank Seravalli reports the veteran coach's dismissal comes after he allegedly kicked a Panthers player on the bench during a game this season.

The alleged incident occurred in the third period of Florida’s win in Minnesota in January after an unidentified player threw a water bottle on the bench, soaking Kitchen, according to Seravalli's sources.

"This certainly wasn’t a friendly tap of encouragement," the source said. "There’s no place for anything like that in the game."

Former Panthers general manager Dale Tallon and head coach Joel Quenneville were notified of the incident after the game, but no disciplinary action took place.

Kitchen remained behind the bench for the season's duration leading up to the pause but opted out of traveling to the bubble with the Panthers for their qualifying-round series versus the New York Islanders.

Earlier in September, the NHL and NHLPA announced it will launch a hotline, run by a third party, to allow those working in the game to report "unethical behavior and misconduct."

The idea was first proposed in December after a series of incidents involving coaches surfaced, including former Hurricanes defenseman Michal Jordan saying then-head coach Bill Peters - who was dismissed by the Calgary Flames earlier this season for past racial and physical abuse of players - kicked him in the back during a game when they were together in Carolina.

Along with Kitchen's dismissal, newly-minted Panthers GM Bill Zito announced Rick Dudley and Paul Fenton joined the club as senior advisors, while Gregory Campbell, Blake Geoffrion, and P.J. Fenton were also added to the front office.

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The Minnesota Wild signed defenseman Jonas Brodin to a seven-year, $42-million contract extension, the team announced Tuesday.

The 27-year-old set a career high in points after tallying two goals and 26 assists during the 2019-20 season. He led the Wild in blocked shots (112) while averaging 21:33 minutes of ice time per game.

Brodin has been with the Wild since being selected 10th overall in the 2011 NHL Draft. He's racked up 30 goals, 116 assists, and 890 blocked shots in 555 career games.

Brodin's extension will begin in 2021-22 and run through 2027-28. The Wild will now have $27.1 million tied up to their current top four defensemen - Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon, Matt Dumba, and Brodin - as of 2021.

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It's looking more and more likely that the Washington Capitals will have a new starting goaltender for the 2020-21 season.

"I would assume (Braden Holtby) goes to free agency and we will keep in contact with him throughout the free-agency period to see if he is getting what he wants," Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said Tuesday, according to The Washington Post's Samantha Pell.

MacLellan added that the goalie market "is probably a little unusually deep this year," according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti.

The 30-year-old - who's coming off a five-year, $30.5-million deal that he signed in 2015 - has been Washington's starting goaltender since the 2012-13 season. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2016 and helped backstop the Capitals to a Stanley Cup victory in 2018.

Holtby struggled for the majority of the 2019-20 campaign while splitting starts with Ilya Samsonov. The Canadian posted a career-worst .897 save percentage but still managed to go 25-14-6. Meanwhile, Samsonov, 23, emerged as a legitimate No. 1 goalie after posting a .913 save percentage and a 2.55 goals-against average in 26 games during his rookie season.

The free-agent goalie market is expected to be filled with talent this offseason. Robin Lehner, Jacob Markstrom, Anton Khudobin, Cam Talbot, Corey Crawford, Thomas Greiss, and Holtby are all expected to be available.

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Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.

The Dallas Stars are the gift that keeps on giving. Oddsmakers hung another terrible price and we pounced again, taking our Round 3 record to a tidy 7-1.

Like the Stars, let's finish strong.

New York Islanders (+160) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (-180)

There is a lot about this Islanders team that makes them easy to like. They're fiery and resilient, and they play a smart brand of hockey while leaving it all out on the ice on a nightly basis. But they're also tired.

New York has been playing intense playoff hockey since Aug. 1. While the team battled the Florida Panthers in the play-ins, the Lightning were coasting through the round-robin games. When the Islanders were exhausting their way through a seven-game series against the Philadelphia Flyers - including three overtime contests - Tampa Bay was recharging following a quick and straightforward series win over the Boston Bruins.

The Islanders have played a lot of hard minutes in these playoffs - Barry Trotz's system demands a lot from his players, and it's not uncommon for the wear and tear to catch up to them. And the fact of the matter is, you need a full tank to beat the Lightning.

New York is wearing down and Tampa Bay simply has too much firepower to overcome at less than full strength. There are no shifts off against the Bolts. They're four lines, three pairings, and a Vezina goalie deep. They come at you hard, and they come at you often.

To make matters worse for the Islanders, Casey Cizikas has officially been ruled out for the remainder of the series. Cizikas is a heart-and-soul guy and an integral part of New York's outstanding energy line. He's a key cog on the penalty kill, a spark plug, and someone who does all the little things.

It's been a great playoff run for the Islanders, and while it will offer little consolation right now, they're going to be very good again next season. But the Lightning have been the better team in this series, they're the most complete team in the NHL, and they will secure a deserved place in the Stanley Cup Final.

Pick: Lightning to win in regulation (-105)

(Odds source: theScore Bet)

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.

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The Washington Capitals are set to hire Peter Laviolette to be the team's next head coach, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

The deal is for three years, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

Washington recently relieved Todd Reirden of his duties after two seasons behind the bench.

More to come.

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