Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire Expensive 700-Game NHL Veteran Defenseman

The 2025 NHL off-season was expected to be one where the Pittsburgh Penguins became the biggest sellers in the NHL, but thus far we haven't seen much, with the team making a few smaller moves in free agency while trading goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic.

Now, they've made a shocking deal, with reports emerging that Kyle Dubas and the team have landed veteran defenseman Matt Dumba from the Dallas Stars in a surprise trade.

Dumba, who plays on the right side would bring a veteran presence and an edge to a team that desperately needs that on the blue line, but immediately after speculation began, fans called out the Penguins for this move.

Perhaps however, that is the plan, as the Penguins are heading towards a major re-tool with the hopes of a top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, so taking on a salary hit like Dumba from the Stars may be part of that plan.

As of now, we know that one piece going back to Dallas in this deal is defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok, a former second-round pick of the Florida Panthers back in 2019 who played just 12 games with Pittsburgh this past season, with very little success found in his 74 career games in the NHL thus far.

It's unclear what the entire deal is, but as of right now all signs are pointing to Dumba joining the Penguins ahead of the 2025/26 season, and whether or not this is a good move for Pittsburgh will hinge on the remainder of the deal.