Since the All-Star Break, the Tampa Bay Lightning have been inconsistent at best and plain bad at worst. The team is 9-8, and on three separate occasions, they have lost at least two games in a row. Conversely, they also have won at least two games in a row three separate times. Clearly, general manager (GM) Julien BriseBois recognized the team needed help at the trade deadline, especially with Mikhail Sergachev’s injury. Rumors swirled that Noah Hanifin would be joining the Lightning, but he landed in Las Vegas. So BriseBois pivoted and acquired defenseman Matt Dumba and forward Anthony Duclair to bolster the roster.
Dumba and Duclair have both played three games so far with the Lightning, so it is a small sample size. My colleague Harrison Smajovits and I have been discussing which player brings more value to the team. Of course, both address the team’s needs, otherwise BriseBois would not have acquired them. As Brayden Point told beat reporter Chris Kern, “Both Dumbs and Dukes just brought a new life to the room. They’re energetic guys. They compete really hard. We needed that spark and they provided that. Both guys are playing great hockey for us. They’re big adds.”
But both Dumba and Duclair uniquely contribute, especially in a playoff run. So let us duke it out in another edition of Lightning Round!
Nick Defends Dumba
Dumba makes the Lightning blue line deeper and eats minutes, and, for those two reasons, he brings enormous value. Darren Raddysh is the only Lightning defenseman who has suited up in every game this season. Every other defenseman has missed at least one game. The team needed someone who could reinforce a defensive unit that has been volatile. Dumba does that.
Dumba changes the dynamic of the Lightning’s back end in a subtle but important way. He has averaged over 20 minutes a night in his three games so far, tallying five blocked shots and 10 hits. Those are stabilizing, veteran plays that the Lightning need. Before Dumba, three of the Lightning’s six defensemen (Emil Lilleberg, Nick Perbix, and Darren Raddysh) had played fewer than 150 NHL games. Dumba forces Lilleberg out of the lineup but now makes the majority of the defense corps veterans with at least 350 games logged.
As the team buckles down for the playoff push, Dumba’s presence will not only bring a jolt to the locker room (like Point stated) but also calm a blue line that has looked scrambly and unconfident.
Harrison Defends Duclair
Alright, Nick. Time to duke it out indeed. Duke it out while defending The Duke. Dumba certainly brings a huge boost to the defense. That ice time matters a lot, and I won’t even try to argue against that. But what Duclair does to spark the offense is on another level.
For starters, Duclair has scored at least one point in 100% of the games he has played in a Lightning uniform. Bad luck in the new third jerseys? Not with Duclair coming in and picking up a goal and an assist for a multi-point game out of the gate.
He’s come up clutch against two playoff locks in the New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers. Speaking of that Panthers game, the defense did not show up. But Duclair certainly did.
Lest we forget the power play as well, a situation that Duclair excels in. He already has a power play point since arriving at Channelside Drive. He has brought a spark that the Lightning have desperately needed.
Dumba’s Defense Still Means More
I will not lie, that line about Duclair scoring a point in 100% of games played with the Lightning made me laugh. That is it. I concede. A tip of the hat to you, good sir. You win. Argument over.
In all seriousness, though, Duclair certainly sparks an offense that relies heavily on Nikita Kucherov and Point. Secondary scoring matters, especially in the playoffs. I will not deny that Duclair makes the Lightning deeper and more well-rounded up front. However, that was not the most pressing concern for the team.
Tampa Bay is fifth in the league in total goals scored (235). Clearly, they do not have trouble scoring. Unfortunately, much of that is undone by the 225 goals they have allowed—ninth worst in the league. Dumba helps stop the bleeding and ensures that Kucherov’s efforts do not go wasted. In three games Dumba is a plus-1, which may not be too impressive but looks solid after coming from the Arizona Coyotes as a minus-13.
Related: Lightning Defense Needs A Wake-Up Call
I am not arguing that Dumba is the greatest shutdown defender in the league. He is, however, an experienced defenseman who can eat minutes, take the pressure off younger players, and chip in offensively every now and then.
Again, Duclair has performed well since joining the Lightning, and I am happy about it. More scoring never hurts. But Dumba’s acquisition addressed the most glaring issue for the team: stopping the puck from going in their net. Thus, he has been more valuable to the team since the trade deadline.
Final Words on Duclair
The defense has certainly been a much more glaring issue. Dumba is a solution. However, it still has a ways to go. The Lightning allowed 50 shots and were bailed out by Andrei Vasilevskiy. Perhaps a larger sample size down the stretch will make it a moot point, and some key matchups ahead would certainly help as well, but it looked like a lot of the same issues that normally were the downfall of the team.
In the small sample size, Duclair has made his trade look ingenious instantly. If the Lightning continue to win, have nights they’re holding opponents to under three goals and under 30 shots, and Duclair’s impact shrinks, I’ll concede.
Also, you mention ice time. Duclair should also get some credit for that as well. While he’s not out there quite as much as he was in San Jose, he’s getting a lot of ice time compared to other players on the Lightning.
One thing is for sure regardless of who we emphasize, the Lightning look like a new team, and if they look like this down the stretch, they’re going to be a treat yet again come playoff time.