Matt Dumba had a pretty lengthy free agency process before ultimately signing with the Arizona Coyotes this past summer. The day known as ‘free agent frenzy’ started on July 1 last year which is when the majority of unrestricted free agents sign with their new teams. For Dumba it wasn’t until the beginning of August when he ultimately agreed to join the Coyotes on a one-year $3.9 million contract. Dumba opened up about his time talking with teams and hinted that it might not be the last time he goes through this process. “I talked to a lot of teams, Toronto wasn’t the only one,” Dumba said via David Alter. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/i-talked-to-a-lot-of-teams-toronto-wasnt-the-only-one-coyotes-matt-dumba-discusses-maple-leafs-interest-last-summer-why-he-signed-with-coyotes] “That’s all part of the process, just trying to figure out what works best for you and that team. 240111_DumbaMediaPresser “I’m sure I’ll be going through that again this summer.” Prior to his time with the Coyotes, Dumba spent ten seasons with the Minnesota Wild, so he was really entering uncharted territory. Dumba was willing to wait patiently though and due to his past ties in Arizona, he knew that the Coyotes were a prime destination. “When the floodgates opened, there was a lot going on I just wanted to be patient,” Dumba said. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/i-talked-to-a-lot-of-teams-toronto-wasnt-the-only-one-coyotes-matt-dumba-discusses-maple-leafs-interest-last-summer-why-he-signed-with-coyotes] “I knew I had a house in Arizona so I was waiting on that,” Now at 29-years-old, Dumba is set to become an unrestricted free agent once again this upcoming summer. With the Coyotes’ chances at making the playoffs nearly impossible, Dumba has been mentioned in some trade rumors. Through 55 games, he has four goals, five assists and nine points while playing 20:07 minutes pergame. Being a veteran defenseman on the trade market, Dumba could fetch a lot of value as playoff contending teams search for depth defensively. Dumba plays a hard-nosed brand of hockey which is extremely valuable come postseason time when the game gets more physical. The NHL Trade Deadline is set for March 8, so we will see what the Coyotes decide to do with Dumba and other players on expiring contracts.
