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Is Matt Dumba the most important player for the Wild?

By Brennen Rupp

ST. PAUL, MN - DECEMBER 02: Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba (24) celebrates after scoring the game winning goal in overtime during the Central Division game between the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild on December 2, 2017 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Blues 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by David Berding/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN - DECEMBER 02: Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba (24) celebrates after scoring the game winning goal in overtime during the Central Division game between the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild on December 2, 2017 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Blues 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by David Berding/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Minnesota Wild missed the playoffs this past season, snapping their streak of six straight seasons of making postseason play. At the beginning of the season it appeared the Wild were on track to making the playoffs for a seventh straight season. They had a record of 17-13-2 and then defenseman, Matt Dumba suffered a ruptured pectoral muscle.  That’s when the train came off the tracks for the Wild. WIth Dumba sidelined the Wild stumbled and went 20-23-7 the rest of the way.

“Look at what happened when he got injured,” Lake Martin, a contributor for Gone Puck Wild said. “The defense wasn’t nearly as good, goal production plummeted, and the Wild didn’t seem to have that mojo that Dumba clearly provided.”

If it weren’t for his season-ending injury, Dumba was likely on his way to having a career year. In 32 games he had 12 goals, which is two shy of his career-high. Martin believes if Dumba didn’t get hurt he would have been bringing home some hardware for his performance last season.

“I’d go as far to say that if Dumba doesn’t get hurt, he would have won the Norris last year,” Martin said.

Dumba is one of the best two-way defenseman in the league. He’s recorded four straight seasons of 10 or more goals. He’s an absolute sniper from the backend.

“He’s an excellent two way d-man, power play producer, and locker room guy,” Martin said. “Teams have to respect his scoring potential and ability to turn a game around, whether it be a slap shot at the right time, a huge hit, or standing up for a teammate on a suspect hit.”

One has to wonder what would have happened with the Wild if Dumba didn’t get injured? Would the Wild have made the postseason for the seventh straight year? Would they have traded Charlie Coyle, Nino Niederreiter and Mikael Grandlund? Would Paul Fenton still be the general manager?

We will never know the answers to those questions, unless we perform our own time heist. What we do know is that Dumba is one of the most important players for the Wild, if not thee most important player. That doesn’t mean that Dumba is the best player on the Wild. It just means he’s the most important to the team’s success. He’s the one that stirs the drink and makes things go.

With Dumba back and healthy we will see if the Wild can get back to the playoffs this season. The Wild will have plenty of obstacles standing between them and the playoffs, but unlike last season the Wild will have a healthy Dumba helping them navigate around those obstacles.

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