Unsettling situation involving free agent Matt Dumba

Defenseman Matt Dumba became a free agent for the first time of his career at the start of the month, bring his 10-year tenure in Minnesota to a close. I doubt fans expected him to still be available at the end of the month…

However, that’s the case and Dumba remains unsigned, possibly waiting for the right offer. But he needs to realize he isn’t the same player he was in 2018, coming off a breakout year, one that saw him put up 50 points while logging nearly 24 minutes a game. Dumba then sustained injuries, and to be honest, hasn’t really been the same.

He however remains an impact defenseman that should be off the market by now. Last season, Dumba put up four goals and 14 points in 79 games with the Minnesota Wild and was held to a minus-8 rating.

Sportsnet’s Luke Fox has recently reported that Dumba has been linked to the Arizona Coyotes, who do have the cap space to sign the 28-year-old blue liner.

The question is: does Dumba want to head to the desert and its 5000-seat arena, along with the uncertainty of the market there, or prefers to wait it out in August, potentially waiting for another domino to fall before another team, maybe a contender, can make a move and afford him?

Fox has also linked Dumba to the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks as possible destinations.

Dumba remains patient, but is it the right strategy or should he sign short-term somewhere, boost his value and ink a bigger deal next summer?

I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes at the moment…

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