The Anaheim Ducks have acquired defenseman Brian Dumoulin from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick. This move comes after an uneventful beginning to free agency for the Ducks that saw them fail to sign any free agents. The Kraken were the opposite, signing Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson to long-term contracts, amongst others.
This is a confusing trade for Anaheim who already have Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger, and Jackson LaCombe on the left side of their defense. While Dumoulin, 32, is an above-average defensive defenseman with 11 seasons of experience, including two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins (2016, 2017), his spot in the lineup is unclear. However, the Ducks have over $26 million remaining in cap space and Dumoulin’s remaining one year at $3.15 million is easy to handle.
Related: 2024 NHL Free Agency Tracker
The Kraken continue their retooling by moving on from Dumoulin, one of their more significant 2023 Free Agency signings. He played in all but two regular season games for the Kraken last season, primarily alongside his teammate from Pittsburgh, Justin Schultz. With Schultz a free agent, it is looking like Seattle will have a significantly different defensive corps next season.
