Being one of the people who is down, a major concern is that there are very little current NHL Dmen that would be a model for Dumba. There seems to be a lot of guys like him in junior that never pan out in the NHL.
He's probably closest to Phaneuf or Burns, but he has none of their size.
Kronwall is also close, but he appears to have a lower hockey IQ.
So, projections are grasping at a poor-man's PK Subban, but even Subban himself shows how fine a line it is from being a dominate force or a guy who destroys an entire series on a bad turnover.
In sum, there doesn't seem to be a lot of margin for error with Dumba. He either pans out and he's a offensive stud, or he has to be given protected minutes in the bottom pairing, or he's not even making it out of the AHL.
This is ridiculous. One turnover doesn't ruin a series, it may be a factor in a goal being scored one game, but in no means does a turnover cause a series loss.
Anyway
Subban is a monster offensively. His defensive skills will only continue to develop. He is just under so much scrutiny all the time given his Norris trophy, flashy play, and the market that he is in. I think his faults are highly exaggerated. He is a game changing defenseman.
He is the same height as Dumba just has about 20 more pounds of muscle. Im sure with some more time in the weight room and eating right Dumba could get there. I remember his first summer at development camp he was a physical beast for his age compared to our other prospects.
I'm skeptical of Dumba reaching his potential, but honestly you have to take a shot once in a while if you want to have game breaking talent on your squad. We don't need Dumba to bee Subban because of our defensive depth, but given how he played as an 18 yr old not looking out of place and probably better than Stoner, Prosser, and Ballard. I can't see why he won't become at least a second pairing guy with some more seasoning. We need his mobility and offensive skills on our PP soooo bad. And if that is all he is one day. I'm fine with that.
