For Matt Dumba, being a defenseman on the Minnesota Wild has become a part of his identity. Drafted by Minnesota in 2012, Dumba has spent his entire National Hockey League career in the Wild’s red and green colours. However, his time with Minnesota may be up. With Dumba’s contract expiring, his net value is too much of a price for the cap-strapped Wild to pay. More likely than not, we will see the defenseman sign elsewhere this offseason. Here is what the Wild will be losing with Dumba’s departure.
The Minnesota Wild Will Suffer with the Matt Dumba Contract Expiring
What Matt Dumba Brought to the Wild
Leadership
First and foremost, leadership may have been the most valuable asset the alternate captain brought to the Wild. With the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts, Dumba was able to step up and become a welcoming leader to a team filled with new players. Teammates report that Dumba was a favourite in the locker room.
“He’s among the more vocal guys, if not the most vocal guy, on this team,” veteran winger Ryan Reaves said after losing to the Dallas Stars in Game 6. “I could see how sad he was at the end of the game thinking it might be his last game (with the Wild). You never know what happens. If I’m back, I hope to see him back.”
Others have commented on Dumba’s ability to bring his teammates together. For example, during the 2022-23 All-Star break, Dumba organized nearly the entire Wild team to go to Cabo for a week.
“He brings guys together, and he plays hard every time he steps on the ice,” future-hall-of-famer Marc-Andre Fleury said. “I think he leads the way that way. I definitely feel lucky that I got to play with him for a year and a half here.” Fleury commented, referring to Dumba’s expiring contract.
Locker Room Energy
Dumba understands how to balance intensity and calmness in the locker room, and he helped his teammates navigate through those emotions too. All-in-one, Dumba can play the hype-man, as well as ease any detrimental anxieties the team faced.
“Great opportunity we have right in front of us, hey? It’s going to be given to you, go out there and take it,” Dumba said to his teammates before playing Dallas in Game 1. “We’ve got it in here, I know we do, I know we do!’
Firing up his teammates comes easy to Dumba, and so do the pranks. One of Dumba’s most well-known pranks is when he covered centerman Joel Eriksson Ek’s car in thousands of Post-it notes. Another is when he filled winger Brandon Duhaime’s car to the brim with packing peanuts. Both pranks successfully ignited the team in comradery.
Impact on Ice
With 79 career goals, Dumba ranks second among all Wild defensemen. However, Dumba contributes to the Wild’s success in several other ways. The defenseman’s physicality and willingness to battle is something the Wild have always appreciated. With 816 total career hits, Dumba ranks first among Wild defensemen.
“I think [physicality] definitely can swing things. No one likes getting hit, that’s just facts,” Dumba stated. “So, just bringing that every night and trying to hold guys accountable through the middle of the ice is fun.”
Most notably, Minnesota is going to have to find a defenseman who will be able to fill up Dumba’s ice time. Last season, Dumba spent an average of 21 minutes and 17 seconds each game running the blue line. The Wild will either need to find someone new to fill those minutes or rely on rookie defensemen Calen Addison and former Gopher Captain Brock Faber.
Mentor Behavior
Lastly, Dumba is widely respected for philanthropy and accountability. Strangers and close friends alike have commented on Dumba’s caringness for others, morals, and determination to use his platform in a positive way. Dumba’s contributions start on the ice, go outside of the locker room and linger in Minnesota’s very own communities.
In January 2020, Dumba was driving home from a late game when he noticed a car stalled on the side of the road. Dumba pulled over to find a family stuck in the Minnesota cold with no way to get home. Dumba stayed, helped the family fix their car, and asked for no recognition in return. Even so, Dumba’s good deed made the news.
The humanitarian resume continues. Dumba’s achievements include the King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner in 2020, Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy finalist in 2021, the Wild’s inaugural Tom Kurves Humanitarian Award winner in 2023, a nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy again in 2023, Founding Member of Hockey Diversity, which works to combat racism within hockey, and much more.
What does this mean?
Ultimately, Minnesota will be losing a great hockey player and an even greater person. If or when Dumba signs with another team this offseason, that franchise will gain much more than a strong defenseman. Regardless, Dumba’s impact on the State of Hockey will be lasting. The Wild will surely miss the defenseman. In his exit interview, Dumba admitted he hadn’t thought much about his expiring contract but knows he will miss Minnesota.
“My heart is definitely here in Minny. I want to win. I want to win here,” Dumba said. “But I really don’t know what lies ahead. I haven’t really given it too much thought. We’ll just see how the chips fall.”
“I love Minny,” he continued. “Made so many friends here, put down some roots, a house here. It means a lot to me. And just how I’ve been able to be in the community and try to use my platform for good and make a difference, it’s been just as fulfilling, if not more, for me going through all this and the connections I’ve made. Yeah … yeah … yeah, I love Minny.”
Main Photo: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
