PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He got the endorsement of one of the Pens Big 3. Is that enough for Brian Dumoulin to remain a Penguin?
The 31-year-old defenseman spent his whole career with the Pens, the second-round pick by the Hurricanes coming over in the Jordan Staal trade. Over his decade in Pittsburgh he’s won a couple of Stanley Cups and mostly been the steadying force paired with the playmaking and sometime risk-taking Kris Letang.
In his 1,000 games in the league, no one has partnered more with Letang than Dumoulin.
“He’s the guy I’m the most comfortable to play with,” said Kris Letang. “My best years in the league are spent beside him. He’s such a good partner to be paired with. It’s not only that, he’s vocal. He understands the game really well. In the room he’s a guy people gravitate around. I just hope he’s with us next year.”
“It means a lot,” Dumoulin said when told of Letang’s words. “It goes by fast. It’s been a pleasure playing with him every year. Every opportunity I get to play with him in a game, it’s great. He’s a guy that always wants the puck. He’s fun, communicative, always fun to watch on the ice. I think we balance each other out really well.”
Letang went on to call him a top defender in the league. That was questionable early in the season as Dumoulin struggled. He admitted as much during locker cleanout day on Saturday. Dumoulin believed he rebounded though in the second half and became more of a positive difference maker.
The left-shot D had a career-high 25 points in 2022-23, 13 of those coming since February 26. He finished a minus four, plus/minus this season, but for his career is a plus 93 including being a plus 31 in 2018-19. He’s coming off a career-high in blocks and the 123 hits is the second-best of his career.
Now he’s a free agent, coming off a six-year, $24.6 million contract. He said he hasn’t really thought about the enormity of it. He was so focused on winning games, it wasn’t a priority. Dumoulin says he’s a very day-to-day person and now the toughest part is not getting ready for a game, but thinking about the uncertainty of his future.
It’s hard to know what the Penguins are thinking. They will have a new general manager and team president. Do they want to open up a spot for a younger defenseman? Do they worry his game now is more what he showed in the first half rather than the second half? Does Letang wanting him back hold any weight?
What the former Boston College star said is clear is he’d like to return to the city where he’s spent a third of his life.
“Without a doubt, I love this group,” Dumoulin said. “I love the guys. They are family to me. Guys that I’ve gone through a lot with. I know each guy’s personality, what gets them going and what doesn’t. Spent so much time in this room it would be hard to leave.
“Take some time, try and get away and think about it.”
No rosters are the same from one year to the next. Last season the team kept a lot of their veterans and they missed the playoffs. What will the new general manager want? That will determine Dumoulin’s future in Pittsburgh.