Get to Know the New Washington Capitals Pierre-Luc Dubois – Hockey Writers –

Darcy Kuemper’s experiment with the Washington Capitals is officially over. The team announced that it has traded the 34-year-old player to the Los Angeles Kings for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois. The 25-year-old center, who will turn 26 at the end of this month, has appeared on several teams in recent seasons. Washington is his fourth NHL stint since being drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the third pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Here’s some background on the Capitals’ newest member.

Dubois’ NHL journey

Dubois made his Blue Jackets debut in the 2017-18 NHL season after spending his junior career with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). In his first NHL season, he posted 20 goals and 28 assists for 48 points in 82 games. He was expected to be a star of the future in this team and he had a great start. He followed that up with an impressive sophomore campaign in 2018-19 in which he tallied 27 goals and 34 assists for 61 points in 82 games. That was good enough to rank third on the scoring list. Only Artemi Panarin (87 points) and Cam Atkinson (69 points) had more that season.

It seemed that Dubois was a good fit in Columbus. Being around talents like Panarin, Atkinson, Josh Anderson, Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, Boone Jenner, and Nick Foligno among others certainly helped. He was developing as a young player, and Blue Jackets management could have thought at this point that they might have a key member of their team locked up going forward. In fact, the Blue Jackets and Dubois have agreed to terms on a two-year extension through the 2020-21 NHL season. It was a while later however that things soured between the two parties.

Related: Suggested Dubois-For-Kuemper Trade Has Merit

Dubois requested a trade from Columbus that same 2020-21 campaign in which he signed his new extension with the club. He wanted a change of scenery and he got it in the form of the Winnipeg Jets, who were dealing with some issues including their star player Patrik Laine. Winnipeg and Columbus completed a trade that sent Dubois and a third-round pick in 2022 for Laine and forward Jack Roslovic. It was a change that benefited Dubois on the score sheet. The Jets posted their best statistical season to date (2022-23). Overall, he posted the following during his time with the Jets:

• 2020-21: eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points in 41 games
• 2021-22: 28 goals and 32 assists for 60 points in 82 games
• 2022-23: 27 goals and 36 assists for 63 points in 73 games

In addition, Dubois recorded the following in two seasons out of Winnipeg:

• 2020-21: three assists in seven games
• 2022-23: two goals and two assists for four points in five games

Despite Dubois’ individual success and his significant role for the Jets, he eventually requested another trade. This time, he was facing the Kings in what was a tough game. The Jets received Alex Iafallo, Gabriel Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari, and a 2024 second-round pick. The move was also a trademark for the Kings, who inked Dubois to a massive eight-year, $85 million contract. He was joining a team that included Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe, Drew Doughty and Kevin Fiala. Dubois was the missing piece in Los Angeles. He continued to set great prices; he just wanted out of Columbus and Winnipeg.

Dubois Comes to DC

The one season Dubois was King did not work for the team. It didn’t help that the organization let go of key players like Vilardi and Iafallo, but LA management felt like they didn’t get what they were selling and signing up for a long time. There have been discussions throughout the hockey world about whether the Kings could buy his contract this offseason, although their manager Rob Blake denied that they were considering that option. It’s been a long time one season for having Dubois there. How bad was his one season with the Kings statistically? In a regular season of 82 games, he produced only 16 goals and 24 assists for 40 points. This was one of the Kings managers who saw his future and during one season, he was traded to Kuemper and came to the Capitals.

While some may not like the addition and certainly the contract is the tough part of getting Dubois, Washington has a chance to get a player who could be a big part of their future. The reason he went around the first two times was because he didn’t want to stay with those organizations. It would be different if the Blue Jackets and Jets wanted to get rid of him, but he was the one who asked for a trade. Maybe the Kings weren’t a good fit for Dubois.

Just because the situation in Los Angeles didn’t work out doesn’t mean it will for the Capitals. He’s worth a shot and if things go well with Dubois in DC, the Capitals have an offensive weapon locked up for the last few seasons of Ovechkin and most of the new season after he retires. If this Dubois move doesn’t work out though, there might be a few Capitals fans who aren’t happy with GM Brian MacLellan and his staff. Time will tell how Dubois plays with his new teammates like Ovechkin, TJ Oshie, Aliaksei Protas, John Carlson, Tom Wilson, Dylan Strome, and Rasmus Sandin among others. It could be a bad fit or the start of a special pairing between Dubois and the Capitals.