Matt Dumba's Retirement Ends A Wild Era Fans Won't Forget

After an illustrious 13-season career in the NHL, spanning five teams and highlighted by standout performances, Matt Dumba has decided to hang up his skates.

Matt Dumba’s NHL run is over.

The veteran defenseman announced his retirement on Friday after 13 seasons across five teams: the Minnesota Wild, Arizona Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Dumba was a Wild first-round pick, going No. 7 overall in the 2012 NHL Draft, and Minnesota ended up being the center of his career. He spent parts of 10 seasons with the club from 2013 to 2023, piling up 236 points in 598 games and carving out a role as one of the league’s more dangerous offensive blueliners in his early years.

His peak with the Wild came in 2017-18, when he put up 50 points in 82 games. Injuries later slowed him down, but Minnesota still leaned on him in a leadership role, naming him an alternate captain in his final two seasons there.

After leaving the Wild as an unrestricted free agent in 2023, Dumba split the 2023-24 season between Arizona and Tampa Bay. That spring, he logged his ninth and final Stanley Cup Playoff appearance with the Lightning.

He then moved on to Dallas before the 2024-25 season, but his role was limited late in the year and he did not get into any of the Stars’ 18 playoff games. The following summer, Dallas traded him to Pittsburgh, where he finished out his contract.

Dumba’s final NHL stop came with the Penguins organization during the 2025-26 season. He played 11 games for Pittsburgh and added 27 more with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL.

The Regina, Sask. native also built an impressive junior résumé, starring with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels and Portland Winterhawks and representing Team Canada at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Across 748 career NHL games over parts of 15 seasons, Dumba finished with 85 goals, 261 points, and 558 penalty minutes. In 54 playoff games with the Wild and Lightning, he added five goals and 15 points.

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