The New Jersey Devils have been slightly active in NHL Free Agency on Tuesday, signing Connor Brown to a four-year deal to solidify their bottom six, and re-signing Jake Allen to keep their goalie tandem intact. The Devils aren’t expected to be done, as they still need more help in the forward group and could use a depth defenseman with injuries expecting to impact them to start the year.
One player they didn’t expect to bring back was Brian Dumoulin. When he signed his new contract with the Los Angeles Kings, it was for more years and more money than the Devils would have been comfortable with.
Brian Dumoulin, signed 3x$4M by LA, is a veteran defensive defenceman who brings some championship pedigree, a little bit of puck-moving, some defensive stability, and a dearth of penalties. #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/11HyjtXrD4
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 1, 2025
The Devils already have a logjam on defense, with seven NHL-quality guys signed to deals next season. However, there are injuries to Johnny Kovacevic, Brenden Dillon, and Luke Hughes that may carry over into next season. All three are rehabbing this offseason, but we won’t get an update until we are closer to training camp.
Brian Dumoulin turns huge playoff performance into massive contract in NHL Free Agency
That’s why some thought there was an outside chance that the Devils could bring Dumoulin back on a short-term deal, but the Devils could not add a depth guy for $4 million per season. The Kings put their chips on their defense, also giving Cody Ceci a $4.5 million annual salary. The Devils couldn’t compete with that. They also probably didn't want another defenseman playing deep in their 30s.
Looking at Dumoulin’s impact with the Devils, it was short but sweet. He was traded to the Devils on trade deadline day. New Jersey sent a second-round pick and prospect Herman Traff to the Anaheim Ducks for Dumoulin’s services. Many Devils fans hated the trade off the bat, but he proved to be worth the price in the playoffs.
Dumoulin led the team with 29 minutes per game. While it was just five games, the series with the Carolina Hurricanes showed fight for the Devils. It was something to build off of after a dreadful end of the season. Dumoulin played an important role in keeping the Devils in games with Carolina despite their list of injuries on the blue line.
We’re happy that Dumoulin got the bag. He probably made another $1 million per season thanks to his playoff performance. Maybe the Kings and Devils will meet again in the Stanley Cup Final, and the Devils could see Dumoulin’s heroics again.