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NHL: Pittsburgh Penguins sign defenseman Brian Dumoulin to six-year deal

By The Sports Xchange
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin (8) skates into position before the face-off during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes. File photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin (8) skates into position before the face-off during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes. File photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo

The Pittsburgh Penguins agreed to terms with defenseman Brian Dumoulin on a six-year contract Monday to avoid salary arbitration.

The deal begins with the 2017-18 season and runs through 2022-23, with an average annual value of $4.1 million, the team announced.

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"We're happy it's settled," Dumoulin's agent, Lewis Gross, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by phone on Monday morning after the deal was announced. "Brian's thrilled to be there for the next six years. We're happy we avoided having to go to hearing."

Dumoulin, 25, has been a key component to the Penguins' back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, playing in all 49 playoff games and recording 14 points (three goals, 11 assists).

In the 2017 playoffs, Dumoulin had an average ice time of 21:59 minutes, the most of any Penguins skater. He assisted on Carl Hagelin's empty-net goal that sealed the 2-0 victory in the decisive Game 6 of the Cup Final against the Nashville Predators.

As a member of the Pens' 2016 Stanley Cup-winning team, Dumoulin partnered with Kris Letang for much of the playoff run on the team's top defensive pairing. Dumoulin scored the Penguins' first goal in the decisive Cup-winning Game 6 against the San Jose Sharks.

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The 6-foot-4, 207-pound native of Biddeford, Maine, owns 33 points (two goals, 31 assists) in 163 NHL games. His first full NHL season came in 2015-16 when he accumulated 16 assists in 79 regular-season contests.

Dumoulin was acquired by the Penguins in a 2012 draft day trade with the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes drafted Dumoulin in the second round (51st overall) of the 2009 draft.

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