Matt Dumba appears to say goodbye to Wild

Was the opening round Stanley Cup Playoffs loss to the Dallas Stars the last we'll ever see of defenseman Matt Dumba in a Minnesota Wild uniform? It very well appears that way, unfortunately. 

During his end of season media availability, Dumba appeared to be able to read the writing on the wall that his time in the Twin Cities was coming to a close. 

“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 said. “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.”

Dumba has been a member of the organization since being drafted 7th overall by the team in 2012. He's appeared in 598 career NHL games, all with the Wild. And while he was known as a reliable producer on the blue line, his offensive stats have dipped in recent years. His four goals and 10 assists this season were both career lows. And with this summer featuring the end of his five-year contract, he was listed by TwinCities.com as a player most likely to leave town.

In fact, they labeled his potential departure as a "forgone conclusion". 

'It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that star defenseman Matt Dumba has played his last game with the Wild. As much as Dumba wants to stay in Minnesota, he is an unrestricted free agent, and this could be the last big contract he signs in his career. Unless he takes a major hometown discount, there’s no way the Wild can afford to bring him back. Some prognosticators think he will fetch in the upward of $6 million annually on the open market."

If Dumba's time in Minnesota is finished, he'll remain a fan favorite in the hearts of Wild supporters wherever he lands.