This started as a thought that if we gave them a defensemen to replace Dumba's minutes, it may be enough to consider an Eriksson for Dumba kind of deal. Hence my "Dumba as futures" comment earlier.
But the more I thought about it, the more unsold I am on Dumba. That he may actually represent a short-term downgrade on Kevan Miller or Trotman and I'm not cool with hurting our forwards AND our defense just for a future asset. I want the Bruins to still be competitive THIS season.
With the knowledge that he plays either side of the ice and brings a lot of the same things to the table as Beleskey, I wonder if Niederreiter wouldn't actually just be a better fit for the team straight up? It also affords the Bruins that cap flexibility to re-sign Krug and be a player in free agency if they choose to. Nino would be a bridge forward who fits the identity that Sweeney is trying to build here and we may have the ability to add him without subtracting long-term assets. We can instead use those assets (cap space, picks, prospects) to focus on fixing the defense.