Top 20 players fans must know about ahead of the 2024 NHL trade deadline

Matt Dumba could find himself on a contending team after Arizona’s collapse

Matt Dumba probably figured he’d be playing the entire season in the Phoenix area after the Arizona Coyotes played surprisingly good hockey early. But that’s now a distant memory, and Dumba’s name has once again come up since he’s still a productive player who won’t cost a ton of money, especially if the Coyotes are willing to keep some of his salary.

Dumba will give a team lacking sound defense top-four minutes, and if they need a player who can bring physical play, he should end up catching their eye. Dumba has 139 hits and counting this year, plus 82 blocks. He would also improve a contender’s penalty kill despite the 26 Arizona has given up with Dumba on the ice. 

Ideally, teams with poor goaltending, like Toronto, should be the most serious about acquiring a player like Dumba. He’s somebody who is willing to prevent opponents from creating chaos around the crease, so the Tampa Bay Lightning and Edmonton Oilers would also benefit if they called the Coyotes and landed a deal for the 29-year-old. 

His days as a two-way player in this league didn’t last (84 points between 2016-17 and 2017-18), but teams with high-scoring identities like the ones mentioned above shouldn’t be too worried.