Kings Sign Dumoulin to 3-Year Contract with $4 Million AAV

Dumoulin is a shutdown defender best suited for a No. 4–5 role, but can move up the lineup if needed. In last year’s playoffs with the New Jersey Devils, he averaged 29:21 of ice time in the team’s first-round loss. According to Natural Stat Trick, he had a 50.00% goal share and 52.39% expected goal share at 5-on-5 play, which is impressive given the minutes he logged.

Though not an outright replacement for Vladislav Gavrikov, who signed a seven-year deal with the New York Rangers, the Kings could’ve done worse than Dumoulin. His defensive game is strong, and he can play a minute-crunching second-pairing role, as well as the penalty kill. Entering his age-34 season, however, there’s a risk of decline. He hasn’t sunk yet, though, so perhaps he can be a worthwhile contributor for most of the contract, if not all of it.

In his prime, Dumoulin won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins (2016 and 2017), so he brings championship pedigree. The 12-year veteran has 706 games of regular-season experience, along with 166 points and a plus-95 rating. He has eclipsed the 1,500-minute mark in three of his past four campaigns (2021–22, 2022–23, 2024–25). He has 86 games of playoff experience, but over three-fourths of that came between 2015 and 2018.