Devils land defenseman Brian Dumoulin in trade with Ducks
The Devils sent a second-round pick in this year's draft and the rights to unsigned 19-year-old prospect Herman Traff to Anaheim.
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New Jersey added on defense by acquiring Brian Dumoulin in a deal with Anaheim.
The Devils’ acquisition of Dumoulin, sending a second-round pick in this year's draft and the rights to unsigned 19-year-old prospect Herman Traff to the Ducks, comes after they learned leading scorer Jack Hughes is done for the season.
Hughes underwent shoulder surgery. No. 1 defenseman Dougie Hamilton also out because of injury.
With Hughes going on long-term injured reserve, they can add roughly $10 million worth of players before the deadline, even after getting Dumoulin because Anaheim is retaining half of Dumoulin's salary.
The Devils are contenders again and looking to get back in after falling out of the race last season, and they hope Dumoulin, 33, brings some valuable experience with him from his 789 regular-season and playoff games. He won the Cup with Pittsburgh in 2016 and '17 and this season has 16 points while skating just under 20 minutes on average over 61 games with Anaheim.
“Brian was good for us both on and off the ice, and we wish him well in New Jersey,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. “This wasn’t an easy decision for us. We do feel this allows more opportunity for our young defensemen, who have proven they can play and succeed at the NHL level.”
New Jersey GM Tom Fitzgerald could still be looking to add a high-end forward — ideally a center — who could help fill the void left by Hughes' absence.
