Kraken reportedly failed to honour Brian Dumoulin's request prior to trade

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Cooper Godin
July 17, 2024 (2:45 PM)

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The Seattle Kraken reportedly failed to honour Brian Dumoulin's request prior to being traded to the Anaheim Ducks earlier this month.

After the free agent window opened on July 1st, the Seattle Kraken made a big splash by bringing in 2024 Stanley Cup champion Brandon Montour on a seven-year contract. By signing Montour, the Kraken were able to move on from a defenceman on their roster and that ended up being Brian Dumoulin was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a draft pick.

According to Travis Lazarczyk of the Portland Press Herald, Dumoulin said that he approached Ron Francis about a potential trade before the NHL Entry Draft and said that he would like to play for a team on the east coast. Ultimately, the Kraken didn't honour Dumoulin's request and sent him to Anaheim.

Lazarczyk said that the Kraken weren't interested in trading him, but an opportunity to move on from him opened up after signing Brandon Montour on the opening day of free agency.

"Dumoulin said he and his representatives approached Seattle General Manager Ron Francis about a trade prior to the NHL draft in late June. They told the club Dumoulin would like to join a team on the east coast." Lazarczyk said.

He added, "At the time the Kraken told Dumoulin they had no interest in trading him. But when free agency opened July 1, Seattle signed defenseman Brandon Montour to a seven-year contract averaging just over $7 million annually. That gave the Kraken an excess of NHL defensemen with seven. The Kraken ultimately traded Dumoulin to the Ducks for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 draft. The move also freed up needed salary-cap space in Seattle."

Despite not being traded where he wanted to go, Dumoulin is looking forward to playing for the Anaheim Ducks next season, calling them an up-and-coming team.

"I'm excited about the opportunity. They're a young and up-and-coming team," Dumoulin said.

The two-time Stanley Cup champion set a new career-high in goals (6) during his first and only season with the Seattle Kraken after spending the previous ten years with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Dumoulin will likely play a depth role on the Ducks' blueline but helps by bringing more experience to their backend, joining Cam Fowler and Radko Gudas, and will also see time on Anaheim's penalty killing units.