The Pittsburgh Penguins added another defenseman to their roster on Thursday when they traded for Matt Dumba of the Dallas Stars. They also got a 2028 second-round pick for taking Dumba, while sending fellow defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok to the Stars.
The Stars had been trying to move Dumba's $3.75 million cap hit to open up more cap space. Before the move, they were over the cap after completing some other business earlier this offseason. They're also still trying to sign forward Jason Robertson to a long-term extension since he only has a year left on his current contract.
Dumba gives the Penguins another right-shot option on the backend, even though that side is starting to become pretty crowded. The Penguins already have Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, and Connor Clifton on that side, plus defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke is waiting in the wings and will try to make the team out of camp.
This move could allow the Penguins to free up some of that logjam, as Karlsson has been a subject of numerous trade rumors this offseason. He has two years left on his current contract and just had his bonus paid on July 1.
Dumba finished the 2024-25 season with one goal and 10 points in 63 games. He spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Minnesota Wild before bouncing around to the Arizona Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, and now the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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