Injury Report: Mathew Dumba - Returns Tonight vs. CHI

[FifthLine]

Hey guys Leaf fan here. I was watching the game tonight (I was impressed), I was just wondering what your plans were with Dumba. Has he played well, or just well enough to stay up? Or is the plan to give him 10 and send him back to the whl? Thanks

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[PuckInTheNards]

I think the plan was to give him his 10 games and see how he did. He's been decent with the big club and I think he sticks.

 

[Northland Wild Man]

I think the consensus view is that he stays with the Wild. I think Fletcher was quoted as saying this in a Russo article as well.

Dumba makes some rookie mistakes, but he looks great. He has great potential.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

Dumba has the strongest shot on our Blue-line and has some very good offensive instincts. He's made some mistakes and he'll continue to make some mistakes, but IMO he will learn a lot more playing in the NHL this year than going back to junior.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Hey guys Leaf fan here. I was watching the game tonight (I was impressed), I was just wondering what your plans were with Dumba. Has he played well, or just well enough to stay up? Or is the plan to give him 10 and send him back to the whl? Thanks

He has played 15 minutes each of the past 2 games. As long as he stays at that level, I don't see a reason for us to send him back, especially since he is getting a fair amount of PP time as well.

 

[Billy Mays Here*]

This is a learning year for him. He's not a Brodin or a Trouba where you can stick him right into the nightly lineup and rely on him to play 20+ min a night. He's still got a lot to learn but I'm liking his shot so far. We haven't seen that physical presence that he showed so much of in the WHL yet, but as he plays more I think he'll feel more comfortable and that physical edge may start to show itself.

 

[Minnesota]

Where did all the Dumba haters go?

The kid's looked pretty good in Minnesota. I think he stays.

 

[nickschultzfan]

I am not a Dumba hater, but I think the kid has a long way to go. If he stays, he's going to have to continually improve through out the season, because we are going to have injuries and we can't be running 5 Dmen during the playoffs.

 

[MuckOG]

I am not a Dumba hater, but I think the kid has a long way to go. If he stays, he's going to have to continually improve through out the season, because we are going to have injuries and we can't be running 5 Dmen during the playoffs.

I'll agree that Dumba still has a ways to go in terms of reaching his full potential...but he is better off playing 10-15 minutes a night at the NHL level then playing against 16-18 year olds in Juniors.

Right now, it's all about confidence with him. And this is something that seems to grow each and every shift.

 

[Jarick]

From what I can see so far, he's not over his head. I think he's better off being in the lineup for 60+ games with the Wild than in juniors because he's actually getting PP time and ice time. He does have a ways to go, but I mean he's going to watch Suter and Brodin for 30+ minutes a night.

 

[nickschultzfan]

I'll agree that Dumba still has a ways to go in terms of reaching his full potential...but he is better off playing 10-15 minutes a night at the NHL level then playing against 16-18 year olds in Juniors.

Right now, it's all about confidence with him. And this is something that seems to grow each and every shift.

Confidence is a tricky thing. Getting hit up for 4 goals by the Sharks and then benched for the next 5 games can destroy the previous 30 good ones.

 

[this providence]

Going back to Junior for a 4th season will do nothing for him. He'll stick with the Wild for certain. How often he's in the line-up will of course depend on his play and the play/health of those around him. Think WJC is out of the question too.

As he stands now, he's already above Scandella, Stoner, and Prosser (not mention most, if not all, of Iowa) so there's no reason he won't get ice time and by default, PP time.

 

[Victorious Secret]

Nothing I can disagree with in here.

 

[MNjens]

He's good enough to play in this league. Agree with everyone else. Him going back to Red Deer would kill any development at this point.

Almost **** my pants last night when he had the puck along the blue line, and skillfully worked his way down to the left circle of the offensive zone, threw a nice backhand pass to Heatley in the slot. Of course, Heater fumbled the pass, but nice play from Dumba.

 

[nickschultzfan]

Dumba isn't above Stoner and Scandella though. At least not right now. He gets heavily protected minutes when those two are played normal. The coaches are just trying to get an extended look at him and bring in him slowly.

 

[Avder]

I think sheltered minutes at this point are better than what he could still get in Red Deer. Hanging around with Suter and Brodin to learn from them is probably reason enough to rotate him in and out of the lineup and press box as his performance warrants.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Play 4 games, sit the 5th. I don't have any problem with a rotation like that. Should get him up to 65ish games over the course of the year. As long as he's still playing ~ 15 minutes per game with powerplay time.

 

[00xtremeninja]

He will be fine. This is the push he needs to bring his game to the next level. Crushing kids back home isn't educational for him. Learning how to defend seasoned vets and playing with smart positional players like Suter and Brodin are how he is going to get better. And he has a rifle of a shot too, let him try to bomb some in from the point or at least hit the goalie or player to make a rebound for a chance.

 

[57special]

I think Brodin and Dumba are going to be the envy of the league for years to come.

 

[Circulartheory]

I'm still in the camp that he should go back to the juniors. I mean, I love what I see at the NHL level but he really isn't necessary for our future success and would love to see him dominate in a #1 role for Red Deer and WJC Canada.

But he looks good. Very mobile, great vision, strong shot. Just a couple of rookie mistakes but they will smooth out with greater confidence and poise.

 

[Dampland]

I'm in the minority, but I would like to see Dumba go back to juniors. Give him his 9 games in the NHL and then send him back.

The 9 games will help him learn what he really needs to work on, and then the rest of the season in the CHL, he can work on those.

Then next season, he can shuttle between the Wild and Iowa as needed.

I think by 2015-2016 season, he will be ready to play regular minutes.

Until then, his game is not ready, he looks weak, poor on defense, and not impressive with his supposed offensive flair.

 

[Jarick]

Dumba looks better than Scandella, Stoner, and Prosser.

 

[El Nino22]

I'm in the minority, but I would like to see Dumba go back to juniors. Give him his 9 games in the NHL and then send him back.

The 9 games will help him learn what he really needs to work on, and then the rest of the season in the CHL, he can work on those.

Then next season, he can shuttle between the Wild and Iowa as needed.

I think by 2015-2016 season, he will be ready to play regular minutes.

Until then, his game is not ready, he looks weak, poor on defense, and not impressive with his supposed offensive flair.

I don't think sending him back to Red Deer is a good idea for two reasons. First off he has already proven to be a dominant player at that level. If he could go to Iowa it would be a different story, but sending him to the CHL at this point is treading water in his development.

Second reason would be confidence. Right now he hasn't done anything to play himself out of a spot. He just got his first goal and looked increasingly comfortable in each game he has played. The Buffalo game wasn't his best but you have to let him respond. Sending him back down after 9 games when he is clearly one of the best 6 defensemen on the team could really hurt his confidence. I see no problem with him playing 50-60 games and getting to practice with the NHL team and see how the NHL game is played. That is what he needs to develop.

 

[forthewild]

Dumba still has what 5 games before he has to be sent back, remember this is 5 games played so if he is a scratch it doesn't count as a game played (at least i think this is true) so he can practice and get better before his 9 games are up. Also Wild can release him for WJC which i'm thinking they might do if he is still up here.

*WARNING* this post makes assumptions and if i'm wrong i'll change it

 

[Victorious Secret]

Here is a surprisingly okay article from nhl.com about sending prospects back to juniors. It even has some length to it.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=687400&navid=DL|NHL|home

After seeing his last couple games I hope he gets sent back. He'll get another year to dominate the WHL and possibly play in the WJC. I'd rather have him gain confidence than struggle in the pros.