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Wild defenseman Dumba still not sure when he can get back on ice

ST. PAUL — Matt Dumba knew he was going to have to answer the bell against the Calgary Flames on Dec. 15, but the Minnesota Wild defenseman never thought a wayward punch would jeopardize a career year that had him on pace for 30 goals.

Dumba has no idea whether he will play again this season after having surgery to repair a torn pectoralis muscle in his right arm, suffered, he confirmed, during a fight with Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk early in that 2-1 loss at Xcel Energy Center.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Jan. 18, for the first time since being injured, Dumba appeared at his locker at Tria Rink wearing a black shoulder brace and sling, which prevents him from driving or doing extensive rehabilitation as doctors wait another couple weeks to determine how to proceed.

He was optimistic about returning at 100 percent but was unsure when that might be. Asked if this season was still in play, Dumba said “It’s really hard to say.”

The 24-year-old with the bomb of a shot from the blue line remains frustrated at the circumstances that led up to his tussle with Tkachuk, who was avenging Dumba’s open-ice check on Mikael Backlund that concussed the Flames center during the teams’ previous meeting Dec. 6 in Calgary.

Moments earlier, Steve Giordano knocked out Minnesota captain Mikko Koivu with a knee-to-knee check that earned the Flames defenseman a two-game suspension and sidelined Koivu two weeks.

Koivu said Giordano texted him an apology after the game, which he called “classy,” while Wild coach Bruce Boudreau downplayed the whole episode in the run-up to the rematch.

So much for civility.

“When I sit back and look at it, you scratch your head and wonder — I think it wasn’t really warranted,” Dumba said. “It was a clean hit. Nothing (punitive) from the NHL. No penalty on the play. I got jumped seconds after. It’s frustrating.

“Even when I’m talking about it now, I’m just getting caught up in the emotion of it. Everything about it sucks.”

In the rematch two weeks later in St. Paul, Tkachuk challenged Dumba 40 seconds after the opening faceoff.

“I think it was a just punch I had missed,” Dumba said. “I had built up some anger. I had a bunch of stitches in my face and I think he rubbed those, had hit those a couple times, and it made me pretty angry and I just threw kind of a wild punch that didn’t connect.”

They fought to a draw and earned five-minute fighting majors. Dumba realized he was injured, but was unsure how severe.

“Once I had calmed down in the penalty box, it was just really throbbing,” he said. “My whole mentality was just, ‘Hey, if you can get through this first period, you can go to the doctors, get it checked out, maybe get something to support it brace-wise.’ Once I had taken my shirt off to show the doctors, it was basically no go.”

He continued to play in the first period, logging 5 minutes, 37 seconds, though he missed the rest of the game.

Dumba’s loss was a big blow to the Wild. He led all defensemen at the time with 12 goals.

“I was doing a good job capitalizing on the opportunities I had,” he said. “But I’ve always had that shot. I think it came with a little more opportunity and guys trusting me more. I hope I get those looks still in the future and I keep doing the same thing with it.”

Dumba has reconciled the fact that a season in which he was on pace for a career-high in goals might have been taken away because of a fight he did not seek but from which he would not back down.

“I don’t even know if it’s taken away. No one stole this from me. It’s just what happened,” he said. “I have to deal with it and live with it. You get caught up with what could have been, that just leads to you being sad and depressed. I’m not about to do that. I’ll be back whether it’s this year or next I’ll do the same thing. I’m not worried.”

Boudreau said the Wild also are confident that Dumba will fully heal and be able to resume his ascendant career.

“Obviously we’re going to follow the protocol because he’s much too important a player to bring back early,” Boudreau said. “He’s going to be fine. Every year’s he’s gotten better. Even though he’s only played 30 games, I’m going to assume he’s going to be better the next time he steps back on the ice than he was the last time.”

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