Wild GM: Dumba expected to have surgery, out for 'significant time'
The Minnesota Wild will be without Matt Dumba for "a significant time" as the defenseman is expected to have surgery for an upper-body injury next week, general manager Paul Fenton announced Friday.
Dumba left Saturday's game versus the Calgary Flames after playing only five minutes. He got into a fight with Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk forty seconds into the contest.
Fenton could not confirm the injury occurred during the fight.
"When the player says, 'I don't know when it happened,' that's what I'm going on. He does not know when it happened," Fenton said, according to Sarah McLellan of the Star Tribune.
Fenton added Dumba "is in a state of shock," according to The Athletic's Michael Russo. "He's visibly upset."
A timeline for Dumba's return is unclear but now that surgery is likely his season could be in jeopardy, sources told Russo.
The 24-year-old blue-liner has suited up for 32 games with the Wild this season, notching 12 goals and 10 assists. He missed seven games in the past three years prior to this injury.
The Wild sit 11th in the Western Conference with a 17-15-2 record.