Even though Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford had be clear he expected to go to arbitration with Brian Dumoulin, the two sides have agreed to a six-year contract instead. The deal will pay Dumolin $4.1MM per season for a total of $24.6MM and keep him in Pittsburgh through the 2022-23 season. Dumoulin was set to have a hearing today, but like many other players before him has inked a deal in the final moments. 
Just 25, Dumoulin has slowly developed into a huge part of the Pittsburgh defense, cracking the 20 minutes/game mark for the first time this season. That 20:33 mark put him second on the team among those who played the majority of the season (Ron Hainsey’s 16-game stint in the second half ranked slightly above) only behind Kris Letang. In 70 games, Dumoulin registered 15 points and was a rock for the club in the playoffs once again. With back-to-back Stanley Cup victories, the young defenseman has proven his worth on the biggest stage.
Amazingly for those two seasons Dumoulin was earning just $800K each year, his second deal after a relatively fruitless entry-level contract. Selected in the second round, he first went off to Boston College to star in the NCAA before needing several years of minor league seasoning with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. For a defensive stalwart who can skate against the other team’s top players, refining his positioning and zone exits were the biggest hurdle. Dumoulin turned himself from a risk-taking offensive threat to more of a stay at home presence, a nice compliment to some of the Penguins other puck movers. With a 6’4″ frame that he can move up and down the ice at an impressive pace, he can be useful in all situations and should only be given more responsibility in the mold of a Marc-Eduoard Vlasic going forward.
Interestingly, the $4.1MM salary comes in just below what Dumoulin was asking ($4.35MM) through arbitration for just a one-year deal. The Penguins had countered with a curiously low $1.95MM figure, one that he obviously will surpass next year by giving away four UFA seasons. He comes in just ahead of Olli Maatta among Penguins’ defensemen, and completes what should be an effective group again this season. The team now has $6.3MM remaining in cap space, though Conor Sheary remains unsigned and heading to an arbitration hearing on August 4th.
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Guessing Sheary will be locked up later this week or early next. After that will see if they can get Cullen to come back for one more or if they make a deal for another reasonably priced center. At least nothing is really pressing at this moment in time.