Coyotes defenseman Matt Dumba will make his return to Minnesota tonight as faces the Wild, a team he played 10 seasons with.
Arizona Coyotes defenseman Matt Dumba is set to return to the Twin Cities tonight as he plays his former team, the Minnesota Wild for the first time.
Dumba signed a one-year contract with the Coyotes this past summer, marking the end of a ten-year stint with the Wild.
This is why Dumba may have a ton of emotions when he hits the ice at Xcel Energy Center for the first time as an opponent.
“It’s going to mean a lot to me,” Dumba said of his return to Minnesota. “A couple friends and family have asked me how it is going to feel. I honestly don’t know, I guess I’ll see how I react when I’m in the moment. It should be really cool and I’m just excited to get out there.”
The 29-year-old defenseman played a total of 598 games for the Wild where he tallied 79 goals, 157 assists and 236 points.
Ten seasons with one organization is a lot of time, so Dumba has multiple fond memories from his time in Minnesota.
“Stadium Series, Winter Classic and just all of the friends I have made along the way,” Dumba said of his favorite memories with the Wild. “I feel like a bunch of us are in different places now. There are only really two still holding it down from when I first started and that's Spurgeon and Brodin. It will be nice to see a bunch of the fellas that I’ve grown really close with.”
Through 39 games with the Coyotes, Dumba has two goals, three assists and five points while averaging 20:14 minutes pergame.
These stats may not jump off the charts, but Dumba plays a tough brand of hockey and adds a strong veteran presence to the locker room.
It was a tough adjustment for Dumba to begin with. Now however, he feels acclimated to coach André Tourigny’s system as he continues to refine his individual game.
“It was hard going to a new team at the start, the systems. You kind of get locked into certain habits from playing a certain way for as long as I did or within a certain system,” Dumba said. “So it was a little bit of getting through that, but I feel more comfortable in my game now and kind of understanding my role here.
“Knowing you're going to have to do a job against the top line, play some good minutes, be very efficient and try to play a really good defensive game every night. That allows me to have peace of mind and understand my role, what I have to do to get ready and prepare each game. I feel like I’ve been doing a pretty good job in that… I’ve felt more and more comfortable as time has gone on so far.”
It should be an emotional night for both Dumba and Minnesota fans. It’s a homecoming that Dumba has most definitely marked on his calendar for months in what will be an exciting game.