The Capitals center is getting along great with his new organization so far.
While flying to Minnesota to get in some offseason training, Pierre-Luc Dubois got a text from his agent that he had been traded. He had no idea where until he landed about an hour and a half later, when he finally spoke to his agent and found out he was headed to the Washington Capitals. From then on, he's felt at home with his new team, and is optimistic about where things are headed, too.
While getting acclimated in Virginia and joining the team for informal skates, Dubois sat down with the Quebec publication La Presse to discuss his tenure with his new team so far, and he had nothing but good things to say.
"I enjoyed my conversations with them. Not just the coach, but Brian Maclellan, Tom Wilson... I've been following the Capitals since I joined the league. The city, the arena," Dubois told La Presse's Mathias Brunet. "I watched (Alex) Ovechkin on TV when I was young, and I had it in my head to come back East. All that together, I've been lucky."
For the 26-year-old, it all began with the positive conversation he had with head coach Spencer Carbery, who not only got to know Dubois as a player but as a person.
"(The call) lasted 12 minutes and we didn't even talk about hockey for the first 10 minutes," he told La Presse's Mathias Brunet, per a DeepL translation. "He was asking about me, my family. He asked me if I'd had time to call my father, if my girlfriend had welcomed the trade. He asked me how I'd reacted. I'd never had a conversation like this with a coach. He was interested in me. I even looked at my phone to see how long we'd been talking without mentioning hockey."
It was a stark contrast from his relationship with former Kings head coach Todd McLellan, who Dubois said he didn't talk too much and couldn't get into a rhythm with. Things picked up when Jim Hiller took over, but he still struggled at times.
Still, Dubois takes accountability for how things played out and is looking forward to a fresh start in D.C.
"Maybe I was the one who was too demanding and wanted to be told what to do. It's obviously my fault that it didn't work out," Dubois said. "You're not supposed to expect those around you to help you gain confidence, but it can help. I tried to rise to the challenge, but I stayed in a gray area all year. I didn't feel at home. The players helped me... but it just wasn't working."
So far, things have been working out in Washington, as he's gotten along with the coaching staff, his new teammates and management. Dubois has been in high spirits and leading by example at informal workouts ahead of training camp, and he also found a home in the area thanks to Wilson.
"It was the house of our dreams," Dubois said, adding, "This time, unlike in Los Angeles, we expect to be here for a long time."
Now for Dubois, it's about feeling at home on the ice and getting his game back to the level he wants it to be at.
"I love learning. I want to improve," Dubois noted.
