Brian Dumoulin’s first season in Los Angeles gave the Kings a little of what they wanted when they signed him, but not quite enough to call it a clean win.
The veteran defenseman arrived last offseason on a three-year deal from general manager Ken Holland, brought in to give the Kings a steady hand on the blue line and add more postseason experience to the group. After bouncing among three teams in two years before landing in Los Angeles, Dumoulin was supposed to settle things down. Instead, his year was a mix of useful minutes, uneven results, and a pairing that never really found its footing.
Dumoulin played all 82 regular-season games and finished with two goals, 15 assists and 17 points. He also suited up for all four of the Kings’ first-round playoff games against the Colorado Avalanche.
A lot of the conversation around his season centered on the defensive pairing he shared with fellow newcomer Cody Ceci. For much of the regular season, the two were linked together, and the results were mixed at best.
The Kings and then-head coach Jim Hiller tried splitting them up early, but the alternatives didn’t bring much relief. Even so, Dumoulin’s only defensive partner to post an on-ice goals-for percentage above 50 percent was Ceci, according to Natural Stat Trick.
There were some clear positives in Dumoulin’s game. He handled the puck well enough to help move play out of the defensive zone and through the neutral zone, and he stood out among Kings defensemen in a couple of key areas. According to NHL player stats, he led the team’s defensemen in defensive zone start percentage and neutral zone controlled entries at even strength.
He also remained a regular on the penalty kill, finishing in the top four among Kings defensemen in penalty-kill minutes.
But the Dumoulin-Ceci tandem never became a reliable answer. In fact, while the Kings were better with them together than when they were apart, the pair still finished at the bottom among qualifying Kings defensive pairings in goals-for percentage at even strength. They also led the team in defensive-zone and neutral-zone giveaways, allowed the most goals against per 60 minutes, and sat last in on-ice save percentage.
That’s why the season lands in the disappointing-but-not-disastrous range. Dumoulin wasn’t solely responsible for the issues on the back end, but the overall impact still fell short of what the Kings were hoping for.
2025-26 Season Grade: C+
Looking ahead, Dumoulin remains under contract for two more years, and his role in 2026-27 will depend in part on what else the Kings do before training camp. If Holland and the front office make changes to the blue line, the pairing situation could shift. If not, Dumoulin could be back in a top-six role on defense.
For now, the expectation is that he’ll still be a regular part of the Kings’ blue line next season, even as the team looks for ways to shake things up before the fall.
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