"There goes his career": NHL Fans skeptical about Matt Dumba's move to Arizona Coyotes

By ADITYA KAR

Modified Aug 07, 2023 18:29 GMT

Defenseman Matt Dumba decided on Sunday to sign a one-year, $3.9 million agreement with the Arizona Coyotes. He joins a franchise that is in the process of rebuilding on a deal that might eventually bring him more wealth.

Dumba's five-year agreement with the Wild, which had an average yearly worth of $6 million for a defensive defender, came to an end in June 2023.

With his new deal, Matt Dumba will be entering his fifth NHL season with a lifetime earnings total of $40 million.

Most of the reactions have been positive. Of course, there will be some negative nancies here and there:

Some of the tweets, though, wished well for the defenseman:

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Matt Dumba has been a reliable presence for over a decade at Minnesota

After being picked by the Minnesota Wild with the seventh overall choice in the 2012 NHL Draft, Matt Dumba spent 10 seasons with the franchise. After being one of the finest two-way defensemen in the previous two seasons, he served as the Wild's alternate captain while taking on more of a shutdown role.

The 29-year-old has scored at least 20 points seven times and had a 50-point season in 2017–18 while participating in all 82 games. In 79 games last season, the Saskatchewan native recorded four goals and 14 assists.

Matt Dumba should offer the Coyotes a significant boost on the blue line and senior leadership on a youthful squad in the interim. In the 2019–20 season, he was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is presented to the player who best exhibits leadership skills on and off the ice and has made a notable humanitarian impact in his community.

On a Coyotes blue line that also has Sean Durzi, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in an offseason deal for a 2024 second-round draft pick, Dumba will likely occupy a top-four position. As the team enters its third year in a rebuilding effort, Arizona also signed Jason Zucker, Nick Bjugstad, and Alex Kerfoot.

Over multiple generations of the Wild's rise to prominence, the seasoned player served as an anchor on Minnesota's back line. Dumba frequently switched between the Wild's first and second defensive lines. Although his scoring has declined over time, he used to be one of the team's more reliable back-line scorers.

Between the seasons of 2015–16 and 2018–19, Matt Dumba scored more than 10 goals per year.

He has gradually lost points, but his minutes played have been consistent. He will provide the Coyotes with a dependable force on the blue line, and is probably best suited for even-strength and short-handed situations.