Pierre-Luc Dubois Traded To Washington Capitals
The NHL offseason picked a completely random day to go bananas. After a disaster of a first season in Los Angeles, the Kings are cutting ties with Pierre-Luc Dubois. Only one year after signing him to an eight-year contract, LA is dealing him to the Washington Capitals. Elliotte Friedman confirmed something was in the works but Pierre LeBrun just reported that former Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper will also be included in the return. Keep in mind that NO salary is being retained on either side:
We were reaching unheard of conversations surrounding the former #3 pick. This makes it now three different teams that wanted nothing to do with him due to attitude/other issues. Mind you, he was a big swing for LA a year ago. Many regarded him as the future successor to Anze Kopitar once he retires. Instead, he burned out quick and Rob Blake was lucky to get out of his contract.
After a solid final year in Winnipeg with 63 points and 73 games, Dubois looked like a different player. In all 82 games, he put up 40 points and a gross plus/minus of -9. He was an anchor for a playoff team that started really hot. Instead of changing expectations, it was another year of the same. Another first-round exit for a team that can’t really get a seat at the table of the Western Conference. It got so bad that his own coach was ripping him to the media. There’s obviously some ability there. His ceiling in past years was something along the lines of Sasha Barkov. A minute-munching, two-way center who could chip in with scoring regularly. However, he can’t win faceoffs. He’s a streaky at best scorer. And, most importantly, he does not have the mental requirements to being a high-level NHL player.
From Bad To Worse
It’s clear that teams, players, and coaches do not have much patience with Dubois. Naturally, many have given the incredibly tough-to-shake label of being a locker room cancer. The only way you can push back on that is by what you do on the ice and with your teammates. Push harder every shift. Put your body on the line. Be unselfish with the puck. Play hard on both ends of the ice. PLD currently does none of these things.
Washington obviously wants to maximize their window with Alex Ovechkin. With a new center and a change of scenery, does this help them return to the playoffs? Probably not. The Devils are gonna be pushing hard for a spot after finally trading for Jacob Markstrom earlier today. Dubois turns 26 later this week so I guess they are fooling themselves into thinking he fits in with their timeline. Regardless, this is a huge gamble with locker room chemistry even if they only parted with a bad contract in Kuemper’s to make it happen.
Entering Year Two of an eight-year, $68 million contract, Pierre-Luc Dubois will no longer play for the team that signed him to it. The Kings have had enough and are sending him to the Washington Capitals.
