Penguins assign defenseman Matt Dumba to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Matt Duma cleared waivers and was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Saturday.

The team designated Dumba as non-roster on Friday to clear space on the active roster following a trade with the Edmonton Oilers that added defenseman Brett Kulak and goaltender Stuart Skinner.

Dumba, a right-handed shot, has appeared in 11 games this season and scored three points (one goal, two assists) while averaging 14:56 of ice time per contest.

Largely deployed on the third pairing, Dumba has been a healthy scratch for 18 games this season.

“It’s obviously a tough situation,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said Saturday afternoon prior to the assignment being formally made. “Matt, he came in every day to work. You had two veteran (defensemen, including Connor Clifton) that I have a ton of respect for. They come in and out of the lineup. That’s a tough situation. It’s one that he hasn’t been in at this point of his career. Maybe not as much in the same way. He handled it very well, especially the stuff that you don’t see. The way he came in, the way he worked every day. Decisions had to be made.”

Dumba, 31, is in the final year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $3.75 million. With his assignment to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, $1.15 million of Dumba’s salary cap hit will come off the books for the NHL club per league rules.

A 13-year veteran, Dumba last played in the AHL during the 2014-15 season with the Iowa Wild.

The Penguins acquired Dumba and a second-round draft pick in 2028 in a trade that sent defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok to the Dallas Stars on July 10.