PHI
PIT
TOR
MTL
TBL
CHI
EDM
VAN
COL
STL
BUF
WSH
NJD
BOS
NYR
NYI
DET
CAR
NSH
CBJ
WPJ
CGY
ARI
SJS
VGK
ANA
LAK
MIN
OTT
FLO
DAL
Erik Cernak | D
Brandon Crawley | D
Calvin de Haan | D
Haydn Fleury | D
Victor Hedman | D
Matt Dumba
ON-ICE VALUE
Top-Four Defenseman
STRENGTHS
Skating: Dumba is a powerful and agile skater who flashes the ability to weave through an entire team on his own. He can carry the puck through the neutral zone with confidence and tracks back quickly on defense. Above all else, he uses his mobility to support—if not outright drive—his squad’s attack.
Shooting: Few blueliners attempt as many shots as Dumba does. Though his bids don’t result in goals often enough, he does well to get them through traffic and create second-chance opportunities for his teammates. On the power play, he’s always ready to unload a one-timer from the left circle. This is a trigger-happy defenseman.
Assertiveness: He’s a constant buzzing presence in the offensive zone, either shuffling along the blue line to find a better shooting lane or simply diving into the play to outnumber the opposition in the trenches. Not many defensemen are as aggressive and difficult to contain as Dumba is. The forwards on both teams always need to keep an eye out for him.
WEAKNESSES
Decision-Making: He may be an outstanding skater, but he plays too fast for his own good. Often, he’ll retrieve a puck and fly up the ice before even scanning for options. This yields low-percentage solo forays or low-quality passes and chips off the glass. Taking his foot off the gas for a half-second to take in his surroundings would greatly benefit his game.
Defense: That same frenetic energy informs his approach in the defensive zone, as he’ll scurry around the ice while actually accomplishing little of note. Vacating his post forces his teammates to scramble in an effort to put out his fires. He doesn’t display any focus or hockey sense in his end.
