Penguins acquire Mathew Dumba, 2028 pick, from Stars for Vladislav Kolyachonok

An established defender is on the move once again.

On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired defenseman Mathew Dumba and a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft from the Dallas Stars. In return, the Stars received fellow blueliner Vladislav Kolyachonok.

Dumba joins the Penguins after what was a bumpy 2024-25 season for the Regina, Saskatchewan native. He suffered an early-season lower-body injury, which led to him missing over a week. Then, in addition to being a healthy scratch for several games, Dumba was out of the lineup with an upper-body injury, which led to him missing almost three weeks in December.

The ailments and scratches led to Dumba appearing in just 63 games, scoring a goal and nine assists for 10 points. It was his least offensively productive season since he became a full-time NHLer during the 2014-15 season.

The trade to Pittsburgh marks another move for the 30-year-old. Taken initially seventh overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2012 draft, Dumba was expected to be the next top defender who would carry the team’s torch for a long time. While he had some good years early on, injuries and lackluster play led to him falling out of favor. Dumba signed with the Arizona Coyotes in August 2023 and was moved to the Tampa Bay Lightning before the trade deadline in March 2024.

Dumba signed a two-year contract with the Stars on July 1 last year. His cap hit of $3.75 million carries through the 2025-26 season.

Kolyachonok has moved around since he was picked in the second round, 52nd overall, by the Florida Panthers in the 2019 draft. He was traded to the Coyotes in July 2021 as part of the deal that brought Anton Stralman to Arizona. After playing parts of four seasons with the ‘Yotes and Utah Hockey Club, briefly playing with Dumba in Arizona, he was claimed off waivers by the Penguins this past February.

Through the 2024-25 season, Kolyachonok appeared in 35 games, scoring two goals and five assists for seven points, posting a plus/minus of -12 while averaging around 13 minutes of ice time per game.

In 74 career NHL games, the Belarusian has posted four goals and 10 assists for 14 points. He, too, has one more year on his current deal, which has an AAV of $775,000.

With the trade, the Penguins are projected to have a little over $11.2 million in cap space next season, according to CapWages. The Stars have a little less than $2 million to spend.