The Philadelphia Flyers could use some depth at basically every position. On defense, there are a couple of options out there that can help.
The Tampa Bay Lightning traded for Ryan McDonough last week so that made it pretty clear that they were going to let Matt Dumba go back to free agency.
Dumba signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes before last year began and he was traded to Tampa during the season.
Matt Dumba is a free-agent defenseman that makes sense for the Flyers
On Tuesday, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period confirmed that Dumba will hit the market and is free to sign with any team that wants a right defenseman.
Somewhat obvious after the #GoBolts acquired Ryan McDonagh, but I’ve confirmed TB will not be bringing RD Matt Dumba back. He will hit the UFA market July 1.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) May 28, 2024
Now, he is back on the free agent wire, he is sure to get a look. No matter what their skill level is, right-handed defensemen are always going to be at a premium when they are available.
Dumba would not come into the Flyers organization and be the missing key for a Stanley Cup championship. However, he can be a piece that is solid at times and will help the younger guys in the room.
He started his career with the Minnesota Wild and spent the first 10 years of his career with them. Last season's split between Arizona and Tampa was his first year away from the Wild.
In 674 games played, Dumba has 83 goals and 165 assists for 248 points. He could be a second-tier offensive guy but now will be relied on to just be a steady presence back there.
As mentioned before, the Flyers will have a young group in the coming years. Guys like Dumba are important to teams like that both on and off the ice. Even if it were just for a one-year deal, he'd be a great fit for the team coming into a very important year.