Kyle Dubas, the general manager and president of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins, made another trade on Thursday by sending defenseman Vladislav Kolikonok to the Dallas Stars in exchange for defenseman Matt Dumba and a second-round draft pick in 2028.
At the time of the trade, the Stars were over the salary cap and wanted to move Dumba, who has one year left on his contract with a $3.75 million salary for this season. The Penguins had over $15 million in cap space available, making it easy for them to take on the contract.
If the Penguins were still in a winning mode, this trade would be surprising, but currently, they are in clear rebuilding mode, especially after trading Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes before the 2024 NHL trade deadline. They have been accumulating assets, now holding 29 picks in the next three drafts, including 17 in the first three rounds. The Penguins likely won’t keep the 2028 second-round pick acquired with Dumba but will package it to acquire younger talent at the right time.
Their offseason moves indicate they aren’t focused on the 2025-26 season. They see the 2026 NHL Draft as a valuable opportunity, especially if they manage to trade veterans like Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell. So far, teams haven’t met Pittsburgh’s asking price, but options like Chris, Connor Clifton, Dumba, and Harrison Bruinsma remain, with competition on the right side of defense.
Dumba played 63 games for Dallas in the 2024-25 season, scoring one goal and totaling 10 points. Although he was healthy during the playoffs, he played through injuries. Dallas also features defensemen like Cody Ceci, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Alex Petrovic, who see heavy ice time.
At 30 years old, Dumba’s performance has declined. He used to be an offensively productive defenseman but has seen his stats drop in recent years. His last strong season was in 2021-22 with Minnesota, where he scored seven goals and 27 points in 57 games. Over the past seven seasons, his shot attempt share and goal share have been below 50% for most years.
Dumba spent 10 seasons with Minnesota and has since played for Arizona, Tampa Bay, Dallas, and now Pittsburgh. The Penguins hope to help him improve, potentially trading him at the 2026 deadline. He may start on the third defensive pairing, move up to the second, and then be showcased to other teams.
This strategy is similar to Pittsburgh’s approach with Matt Grzelcyk last year, signing him for one year in free agency to help rehabilitate his play, giving him top-four and power-play roles. Depending on whether Karlsson stays, the Penguins might rely on players like Dumba or Letang for power-play minutes. Dumba has limited power-play time recently but showed strong numbers earlier in his career. He is expected to take some time to settle into the second power-play unit this season.
Pittsburgh aims to regain some 5-on-5 offensive strength by pairing Dumba’s mix of grit and physicality with their defensive lineup. They want to be a bigger, tougher team after appearing vulnerable in front of the net last season.
While the Dumba trade might not excite everyone, it provides the Penguins with defensive depth on the right side and a valuable future asset. Dumba is among several players on one-year deals, including Connor Clifton, Kevin Hayes, Anthony Mantha, Blake Rizzotti, Noel Acciari, Connor Dewar, and Danton Heinen. Pittsburgh is positioned to gather more assets at the next trade deadline as part of their ongoing rebuild.
(Data provided by natural statistical metrics).
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Fan Take: This trade highlights the Penguins’ commitment to rebuilding with a focus on future potential rather than immediate success. Hockey fans should watch closely as Pittsburgh leverages its draft assets and develops players like Dumba to reshape their team’s competitiveness in the coming years.
