NHL Notebook: Penguins and Stars strike trade to send Matt Dumba to Pittsburgh

Two NHL trades in the same week!? In this economy?

After the Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning linked up for a prospect swap that saw the Oilers land 2025 Hobey Baker Award winner Isaac Howard in exchange for Sam O’Reilly, the Minnesota Wild and Pittsburgh Penguins have gotten in on the fun.

On Thursday, the two teams struck a deal that sees defenceman Matt Dumba head to Pittsburgh along with a second round pick, while the Stars land 24-year-old defenceman Vladislav Kolyachonok,

After spending 10 years with the Minnesota Wild — the club who drafted and developed him — Dumba joins his fourth team in the past two seasons just weeks before his 31st birthday. After signing with Arizona in August 2023, the Coyotes dealt Dumba to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the trade deadline. Tampa chose not to re-sign him, and the Stars took that opportunity to ink Dumba to a two-year deal at $3.75 million annually.

Dumba recorded just a goal and ten assists through 63 games with the Stars and did not appear in a playoff game for the club. Year one of the contract was a disappointment for both team and player, and rumours had been circulating for quite some time that the Stars would look to shed Dumba’s salary for the second and final year of the contract.

Heading back to Dallas is Vladislav Kolyachonok, a 24-year-old left shot defencemen who Pittsburgh initially claimed on waivers in February from Utah. He combined for two goals and five assists in 35 games with a -5 plus-minus rating. This deal is a pure camp dump move for the Stars, who were over the NHL’s upper limit prior to the trade. According to Puck Pedia, the Stars now have $1.95 million in available cap space.