Leafs tried to sign Matthew Dumba during the offseason: report
The Toronto Maple Leafs are still looking to bolster their blue line ahead of the trade deadline. But it looks like they almost acquired a top-pairing defenceman before the season even began.
According to a new report from Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, the Leafs, along with other teams, approached defender Matthew Dumba while he was a free agent last summer.
“Dumba says, yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs were one of several teams that expressed interest in him during free agency,” Fox wrote in an X post on Thursday.
The 29-year-old ultimately settled on a one-year, $3.9 million contract with the Arizona Coyotes instead, partly due to having a financial connection to the area.
“That he already owned an investment home in Arizona played into his decision to sign with the Coyotes.”
Matt Dumba says, yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs were one of several teams that expressed interest in him during free agency.
That he already owned an investment home in Arizona played into his decision to sign with the Coyotes.
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) February 29, 2024
Could the March 8 deadline see the two parties reunite?
As Arizona continues to rebuild, they will likely be sellers at the deadline. And the Regina native’s name has come up in the rumour mill quite a bit.
Meanwhile, as buyers, the Leafs are desperate to add a right-handed blueliner to their mix, recently icing a lineup with six left-handed defencemen.
Along with physical play and shot blocking, Dumba also has an offensive element to his game, logging a 50-point season with the Minnesota Wild in 2017-18 and scoring at least 20 points seven times in his career.
In the meantime, Toronto fans will get a good look at Dumba on Thursday night when the Leafs take on Arizona at Scotiabank Arena at 7 pm ET.