Penguins place defenseman Matt Dumba on waivers

The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed defenseman Matt Dumba on waivers on Friday for the purpose of reassigning him to the AHL.

Seth Rorabaugh

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Matt Dumba is now on the non-roster list for the purposes of being waived, which will happen at 2 p.m. That gets the Penguins to the NHL limit of 23 active players.

4:48 PM · Dec 12, 2025

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Dumba is being waived in the wake of the Penguins’ trade earlier today that send Tristan Jarry and Samuel Poulin to the Edmonton Oilers in exchanged for Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak and a 2029 second-round pick. Since Poulin was not on the Penguins’ NHL roster at the time of the trade, and both Skinner and Kulak were, the Penguins were over the 23-player roster limit and needed to send someone down to the minors.

The Penguins currently have nine active defensemen on their roster, so it made sense that one of their blueliners was one of the ones sent down to the AHL. Dumba wasn’t a mainstay in the lineup, so it appears that Pittsburgh viewed him as the most expendable to lose on waivers. Should he clear, this will be the first time he’s played in the AHL since the 2014-15 season.

Dumba will now have a chance to be claimed by the other 31 NHL teams at no cost other than a roster spot and taking on the remainder of his contract. With the season now past November 1st, the priority list is now based on the inverse of the standings, meaning the Vancouver Canucks will get top priority of adding him, while the Colorado Avalanche will have last priority.

Dumba is in the final year of a two-year contract with a $3.75 million cap hit, one he signed with the Dallas Stars in free agency in 2024. Currently only 16 of the other 31 teams have the salary cap space to take on his contract without making any additional moves. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and is projected to get a two-year contract at around a $2.9 million AAV according to AFP Analytics.

Dumba was dealt to the Penguins in the summer as part of a cap dump for the Stars, with only Vladislav Kolyachonok going the other way. Dumba has one goal and two assists for three points in 11 games with the Penguins.