Wild defenseman Matt Dumba vows to end his early struggles

The Wild is trying to cut off a potential sophomore slump before it has a chance to ferment.

Matt Dumba hasn't been awful the first five games this season, but he is certainly not the same defenseman the Wild got used to seeing during a strong second half last season. In only 58 games, Dumba ranked third among NHL rookie defensemen with eight goals, fifth with 16 points and first with a plus-13.

Coach Mike Yeo felt comfortable putting him on the ice in most defensive situations.

Heading into Thursday's game against Columbus, Dumba has one assist in five games and has been, in Yeo's words, careless with the puck and erratic defensively. The defensive pairing of Dumba and Jonas Brodin lasted 3½ games and, in Sunday's loss at Anaheim, Dumba was minus-2 with new partner Marco Scandella.

"For me the biggest thing is the respect for the league," Yeo said after Tuesday's practice. "This is the NHL, it's the best league in the world and you're on the ice against the best players in the world. I feel that his game has been very similar to the first half of the season for him last year, and what we have to do is get his game closer to what it was in the second half of the season."

What Yeo means is Dumba can't afford to get away with sloppiness against NHL players on NHL teams like the Kings and Ducks. This isn't the preseason, where Dumba was often playing against minor-leaguers and took advantage in one game with two goals, two assists and an absurd plus-6 rating.

Yeo wants him to simplify things. Dumba will still be permitted to do things that "catches your eye," Yeo says, but "there's other times where you just have to make a smart, simple play. It's not always how much you give, it's how much you're giving up as well."

Dumba, 21, stood in front of the cameras for five minutes Tuesday and was accountable for his average play. He admitted it needs to get better and also interestingly said he must "respect" the league, an indication he has met with Yeo about his play.

"It's a good league, you can't just go out there and do whatever you want," Dumba said. "You've got to play hard within the system, follow the team's structure and do things within that and within yourself. I might've been trying to force a little too much. I see that. I'm going to go over video and work out those kinks.

"This is all part of a process. I don't think one or two games has ever made a career out of anyone. It's an accumulation of that. I'm going to find that consistency and that's something that I'm learning. I'm happy I can figure it out early in the season rather than late. That's what I want to use these next two days for."

Yeo said success may have happened too quickly and easily last year for Dumba, similar to a sophomore slump that bedeviled Erik Haula last season. Yeo said he's trying to make Dumba realize it takes hard work and mental toughness to make his second full year a better one.

"All these guys, it's human nature. You're going to read the clippings, you're going to hear [what] fans or media are saying about you. It's hard for that stuff not to get to your head," Yeo said. "[Dumba's] a good player. He should have confidence and he should believe that he's capable of doing really good things, but there's a foundation to his game that has to be there and there's a way that we play the game that it has to fit into.

"That's not to say that every shift and every game has been bad for him, but I would say similar to last year we just have to get rid of and clean up some of the areas that aren't quite there."

Last November, Dumba needed minor league seasoning to get his game on track. He returned to Minnesota a different-looking player. Yeo said that's an option again, although that's not a decision the Wild would make easily.

"We're counting on him to perform at the level that he performed at last year," Yeo said. "We know that he's capable of doing it. And so, we're not just going to easily throw him down to the minors because he plays one, two bad games. It's our job to try to get him back to that level."

Dumba, a workhorse on and off the ice, said this is not about work ethic. It's about his mental preparation and making sure his mind is sharp and focused so he makes the right plays on the ice.

"All this could go away after this weekend if I play three good games, and then it's all cleared up," Dumba said. "And that's my plan. I'm going to use these next two days to get myself focused, get my mind ready and just go play good hockey like I know I can. I believe in myself.

"I know I can play up to my potential and I just haven't done it as of late. I know that and I'm going to make that difference. That's on me and me alone. That's something I'm figuring out in the next two days. Come Columbus, you'll see a different Matt Dumba."