The Dallas Stars have been released from their salary cap issues. After the Mikko Rantanen contract hit the books and they signed Radek Faksa, they needed to move a piece out. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the few teams tearing it down to rebuild. The Stars and Penguins connected on a trade on Thursday, sending Matt Dumba to Pittsburgh.

“Delay in Pittsburgh/Dallas deal was notifying one of the players…Matt Dumba and a 2028 2nd to Penguins for Vladislav Kolyachonok,” SportsNet's Elliotte Friedman reported.

The Stars part with a second-round draft pick to get below the salary cap ceiling. They did pick up defenseman Vladislav Kolyanchonok, who has played 74 games in the NHL, to replace the defensive depth. After the move, they have $1.95 million in space to play with this summer.

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Dumba has bounced around in his career after spending the first decade of his NHL life with the Minnesota Wild. He signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes before the 2023-24 season. After a trade to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the deadline that year, he hit free agency again. That's when the Stars signed Dumba to a two-year deal worth $3.75 million per season.

The Penguins are not competing, so picking up the second-round pick to take on a cap dump is a smart move. He will help chew up minutes next season if they trade Erik Karlsson, which could happen in the coming weeks. That would bring in even more picks as the Kyle Dubas rebuild hits stride.

The Stars have two extensions to prioritize before next season. Jason Robertson is the big one, coming off a $7.75 million contract and a 35-goal season. Mavrik Borque is also a young forward they want to keep. His entry-level deal will expire at the end of the 2025-26 season. Finally, the Stars have space to breathe.

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