TEMPE, Ariz. — The signing of Matt Dumba signals continued growth for the Arizona Coyotes.
The 29-year-old signed a one-year deal worth a reported $3.9 million on Monday, and joins a host of other additions to the club this offseason. That list includes fellow defensemen Sean Durzi and Troy Stecher along with forwards Jason Zucker, Alex Kerfoot, and Nick Bjugstad.
Along with a core of solid young players, the Coyotes are ready to be relevant again, and could even be "sneaky good", according to the hosts of Locked on Coyotes.
"The era of just getting to the cap floor is done," says Robyn Leano. And whereas Arizona used to be the place you send dead contracts, they're signing players that still have significant usefulness and can help them challenge for a playoff spot.
And, as Matthew Jacobson points out, all their defensemen - including Dumba - are set to become free agents next summer, meaning they'll all be quite motivated to have career years.
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Sure, it's a low risk deal for the Coyotes, but he becomes their highest paid defenseman by a healthy margin and it is a worthwhile gamble seeing as Dumba can help solidify the blue line and earn himself a nice new deal next summer if all goes well.
"We are very pleased to have Matt join our organization," said Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong. "He is a talented, reliable, physical defenseman who competes hard every night and will contribute offensively. He is also a great leader who will add a veteran presence to our blue line. We are very excited to have him on our team this season."
The Coyotes have been in the playoffs just once over the past 11 years, and while they are not a lock, they are that much closer with a player like Dumba in the mix.