Dumba’s defensive play and coverage are actually really good without the puck, he’s 3rd on the Wild to Brodin and Spurgeon there but would likely be the top coverage guy for the Oilers. D zone coverage and playing the rush are where all of his improvement over the past five years has been, but he still makes boneheaded turnovers from doing too much in the neutral zone and that is where he gets his adventure reputation. He has been shooting more effectively recently, the past two seasons though his shot has been brutally underwhelming with bad accuracy, he is no longer a shin breaking and goalie beating threat with his slap shot, and has relied more on his wrist shot and pinching for offense. He does pinch well, and doesn’t cheat much there, but it helps that the Wild forwards are all defensively responsible, OTT and EDM don’t play that same way.
His game has definitely transformed over the years, by all accounts he works his butt off and is loved in the locker room and a dedicated contributor to his community. He will definitely be missed, but it’s hard to see a way that he makes it to next season on the Wild.
This deal likely happens near the deadline, otherwise the Wild will need a depth RD in return or on the market, Faber won’t be available until the end of season and the RHD depth is all either unavailable, or still developing. Relying solely on Spurgeon, who gets injured every year, and a rookie in Addison to be healthy going into the playoffs is obviously not ideal.
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