The New Jersey Devils have certainly been busy leading up to the trade deadline. After announcing that Jack Hughes would miss the remainder of the season following shoulder surgery, general manager Tom Fitzgerald went right to work.
On Thursday afternoon, the Devils received defenseman Brian Dumoulin from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Herman Traff and a 2025 conditional second-round draft pick. Dumoulin is a two-time Stanley Cup champion who offers plenty of defensive depth, which the Devils will need in the absence of Jonas Siegenthaler and Dougie Hamilton.
Let’s take a look at Dumoulin’s career, and see how this veteran defenseman can help the Devils make a playoff push.
A native of Maine, Dumoulin’s hockey career started with the Biddeford High School Tigers and the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs. Afterwards, he attended Boston College, where he played for three seasons. In 2010 and 2012, he appeared in the NCAA championship, and was also named to the All-American, All-Hockey East, and Hockey East All-Rookie Team.
Dumoulin is in his 12th season in the NHL and has played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Seattle Kraken, and Anaheim Ducks. He was drafted 51st overall in the second round of the 2009 Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes.
However, Dumoulin’s NHL career did not start until the 2013-14 season, after he was traded to the Penguins. He would then spend the first ten seasons of his career in Pittsburgh. Dumoulin remained a crucial piece of their defensive core and even led the team to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.
Ahead of the 2023-24 season, he signed a two-year deal with the Kraken as a free agent. Dumoulin was an important part of the Kraken’s defense last season and even scored a career-high of six goals. Subsequently, he was traded to the Ducks for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 Draft.
Ducks’ general manager, Pat Verbeek, had nothing but praise for Dumoulin, who has played in all 61 games for the Ducks this season. Verbeek also mentioned how he made a positive impact both on and off the ice. With two goals and 14 assists, Dumoulin ranked second on the Ducks in points. He scored his last goal as a Duck on Wednesday night against the Vancouver Canucks.
One member of the Devils’ organization who was thrilled to welcome Dumoulin was Devils’ head coach, Sheldon Keefe. He commended Dumoulin’s style of play and is satisfied with his defensive consistency. “I’m feeling comfortable he’s going to help our depth and give us a left-hand shot,” said Keefe.
Dumoulin is also no stranger to the pressure that comes with playoff hockey. Throughout his career, he has appeared in 81 playoff games. He has four goals and 21 assists to show for it, along with a plus-6 career playoff rating.
In fact, Dumoulin scored the opening goal for the Penguins in Game 6 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final against the San Jose Sharks. He has not made an appearance in a playoff game since the 2021-22 season, but there is a high likelihood that can change now that he’s on the Devils’ roster.
Known for his defensive responsibility, Dumoulin is effective at both blocking shots and moving the puck up the ice. Not only is he reliable in the defensive zone, but he also stifles the opponent by limiting scoring chances. He is also exceptional in breakout scenarios and can easily regain puck possession in his own zone.
If Hamilton misses the remainder of the season, Dumoulin will play a key role in an attempt to make up for lost defensive depth.
Overall, this trade seems beneficial for both parties. The Devils have a stronger veteran presence for the rest of the season, while the Ducks earned a conditional draft pick and a forward prospect. All in all, Devils fans should be excited to see what this experienced defenseman brings to the table.
We’ll have to wait and see how things pan out for New Jersey, but one thing is certain: The Devils are not giving up just yet. A defensive defenseman is a step in the right direction, but Fitzgerald still needs to acquire depth scoring and find a short-term replacement for his star forward.
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Micah Parsons is not holding back on his feelings regarding his lack of a long-term deal with the Dallas Cowboys. One of the best pass-rushers in the league, Parsons is heading into the fifth and final year of his contract with the Cowboys. He'll be an unrestricted free agent in 2026 and, right now, he has no guarantees of a long-term contractual future with the Cowboys. After practice on Tuesday, Parsons gave a frank answer when asked about his lack of a long-term deal. The long and short of it is that he's looked around the NFL and has seen top pass-rushers getting massive contracts. The question is, why hasn't Dallas and owner Jerry Jones put that same type of investment into him just yet? "When you go around the league and you see these other teams taking care of their best guys, I seen T.J. [Watt] gotten taken care of. Maxx [Crosby] got taken care of. Myles [Garrett] got taken care of, [and] he's got two years left on his deal," Parsons said, according to Todd Archer of ESPN. "You see a lot of people around the league taken care of, and you wish you had that same type of energy." Parsons has notched 52.5 sacks over his first four seasons. For comparison's sake, Watt has 58.5 sacks in the same time period and Garrett has notched 60. Watt and Garrett are two of the best pass-rushers in recent memory, and Parsons is right there alongside them. As far as how he sees it, he, of course, believes he's the best in the world at what he does. "I feel like I'm the best at what I do," Parsons said. "You can argue whoever, but stats, numbers don't lie. The consistency is there, and the availability is there." Watt just signed a three-year, $123M contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers, while earlier this offseason, the Browns signed Garrett to a four-year, $160M extension with $123.5M of that guaranteed. The Cowboys and Jones have a reputation for being stingy negotiators, and they've taken many of their top players to the limit in the past before signing deals. To that point, Parsons seems to be aware that he's not in a unique situation. "This is not like I'm getting treated differently than anybody else. I don't take it personal. I just don't understand," he said. With that said, Parsons is clearly frustrated about the lack of long-term guarantees of his future in Dallas. So much so that he went as far as to say that if the Cowboys don't want him in Dallas, he's happy to move on and take care of business elsewhere. It's worth noting that Jones hasn't helped ease the tension, either. At the start of training camp on Monday, he went as far as to suggest that even if the Cowboys do sign Parsons, that doesn't mean he'll be available because of injury. Jones said that Parsons was injured for six games last season, while in reality, the star pass-rusher missed only four. "I've been pretty consistent. If they don't want me here, they don't want me here and I'll go about my business. I understand the nature of the business," Parsons said. "Like I said, as far as I'm here and under contract, I'll do what I have to perform at the highest level but at the end this is the business. Same way Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones and the other Jerry Jones take care of their family is the same way I need to take care of my family. I've got three kids of my own, so we all need to take care of our own family at the end of the day."