PITTSBURGH — You know the names.
Crosby. Malkin. Kessel. Fleury. Murray. Hornqvist. Kunitz. Sullivan.
The Penguins wouldn't have won both of their Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 without any one of them.
You can add another name to that formidable list.
Dumoulin.
I know the Penguins have had a few better defensemen in their history. I'm just not sure they have had a more underappreciated one.
Brian Dumoulin had a great career here.
The fans should blow the roof off PPG Paints Arena in appreciation when Dumoulin returns with the Seattle Kraken on Jan. 15 and is given his scoreboard tribute by the always-classy Penguins.
It will be difficult to see Dumoulin in a Seattle uniform, just as it was hard to see Fleury and Kessel come back in Vegas uniforms and Hornqvist in a Florida uniform. Dumoulin signed a two-year, $6.3 million free-agent contract with the Kraken on Saturday, leaving the Penguins after eight seasons.
Sadly, it was time for the Penguins to let Dumoulin go. One of the team's more durable players earlier in his career — he played in more games than any player but Sidney Crosby after becoming a regular in the 2015-16 season — injuries sabotaged him the past few seasons. An ankle injury in November 2019 required surgery to fix lacerated tendons. He was never the same player with the same quickness again. Then, an MCL tear in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers in 2022 sidelined him for the remainder of that series and was a significant factor in the Penguins losing in seven games. He still managed to play all 82 games last season and 76 the season before.
Consistency was Dumoulin's game. He was the perfect partner for Kris Letang and Letang's flair, often covering for Letang's gambles and mistakes. Dumoulin finished his Penguins career as a plus-93 player. Did I mention consistency? He was plus-31, 17, 18 and 24 in four consecutive seasons before dropping off to minus-4 last season.
But it was Dumoulin's postseason work in the Cup runs in 2016 and 2017 that was most impressive. He averaged 21:31 of ice time in 24 games in 2016 with 31 block shots and 34 hits. He averaged 21:59 in 25 games in 2017 with 48 blocks and 43 hits.
You really know your Penguins history if you know Dumoulin scored the first goal in the Cup-clinching 3-1 win in Game 6 at San Jose in 2016. Incredibly, it was a power-play goal. It was the only power-play goal of his career.
All of these years later, it's still hard to believe the Penguins won the Cup in 2017 without Letang, who was out after surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck. What a run the defense corps of Dumoulin, Ron Hainsey, Justin Schultz, Olli Maatta, Trevor Daley and Ian Cole had in those playoffs. They finished a combined plus-32 with Dumoulin leading the way at plus-9.
Dumoulin's work on the penalty kill in the Cup-clinching 2-0 win in Game 6 at Nashville was especially noteworthy. The Penguins killed off four penalties, allowing just three shots. Two of the penalties — on Maatta and Daley — happened in the third period, giving the Predators a 5-on-3 advantage for 32 seconds. Murray still was able to finish with his second consecutive shutout in that series.
Dumoulin played 26:08 in that Game 6 in Nashville. That was Letang-like.
Penguins fans always should have fond memories of Dumoulin.
What a steady, dependable player he was.
