There is no sugarcoating how disappointing Pierre-Luc Dubois’ one season with the Los Angeles Kings was. The Kings were supposed to be the team he wanted to be with, where he’d finally find true stability. An eight-year, $68-million contract, signed in June 2023, seemingly ensured that.
Being in big-city L.A. was supposed to be different. It was a destination of preference for Dubois after being drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets and then dealt to the Winnipeg Jets — two teams he requested trades from. The Kings viewed him as a big, talented center who not only could strengthen them for a playoff series but also prepare them for life after Anze Kopitar.
The stay was so underwhelming and devoid of memorable impact that the Kings ended it in less than a calendar year, trading Dubois — and his massive contract extension — before his full no-movement clause kicked in.
Returning with the Washington Capitals to face the Kings on Thursday night, Dubois was contrite and unvarnished as he looked back on the enigmatic season.
“I learned a lot last year,” Dubois told The Athletic. “Since my first days in Columbus, you’re playing top-six (minutes). In Winnipeg, top-six. And then all of a sudden, you’re not. It’s a challenge and it’s not that it can’t be done. But it is a challenge. That’s on me. I’ve never hid behind that. That was on me. I was not good in that challenge.
“When you play three shifts in a period and you used to play seven, it might be tough to have the same impact with three or four than you did with seven. It might be tough to have the same impact when you played 20 (in a game) and now you’re playing 11. It’s a challenge. It’s not impossible to do. It’s a challenge that I wasn’t good at. That’s just how it is sometimes.”
As Washington’s second-line center, Dubois has 57 points in 65 games. He’s on pace for a career-high 72 points and is averaging 17 minutes, 19 seconds, of ice time. Dubois is also on a surge of late, with 15 points in his last 11 games, including Tuesday’s three-point night against Anaheim.
The 26-year-old has never shied away from questions about his desire, his wants and needs, and his struggles. And the difference between last season with the Kings and his rebirth with the Capitals is simple to him. In Los Angeles, Dubois mostly played a third-line role behind Kopitar and Phillip Danault, and his average ice time of 15:42 was the second-lowest of his eight NHL seasons.
Dubois did contribute seven power-play goals, but his 16 goals, 24 assists and 40 points were the fewest he’s had over a full 82-game schedule — even lower than his COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 season with the Blue Jackets, in which he had a major impact in the bubble playoffs before his time with Columbus quickly deteriorated. In the 2024 playoffs with the Kings, a Game 1 goal was his only point in their five-game loss to Edmonton.
While Kings general manager Rob Blake indicated he would not buy out Dubois after one inconsequential season, he found an out with the Washington trade. Blake also put the blame for Dubois’ season on himself.
“I don’t think I did a good enough job integrating him in the right roles on the team here this year,” Blake said after trading Dubois. “I think it wasn’t a great fit in that aspect for us, and we’ll take responsibility for that.”
The Capitals wouldn’t have been blamed for shying away from Dubois, the No. 3 pick in the 2016 draft after Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine, who often left his previous teams wanting more. But the Caps were intent on retooling their roster after squeezing into an unexpected playoff berth last spring. On their offseason list was a major need for a productive center to go with first-line pivot Dylan Strome.
Having just finished his first season as head coach, Spencer Carbery had his first conversation with Dubois “probably 15 minutes after the trade broke.” It was the first step in building a bond with a player accustomed to moving around and playing for several voices behind the bench.
“I think at that point, especially in the offseason when those things happen where you’re not going to be around the player the next day, it’s more of a slow approach,” Carbery said. “Your world is in a whirlwind right now. You’re talking about logistics. Family. Just getting to know him, not on a hockey level. It’s more so on a life (and) personal level is where we start. And that’s where it started with him.
“And then you start to talk about his career path. Learn about his history. What went right, what went wrong. How do you like to be coached? How do you feel about your game? If you had to describe yourself in three words as a player, what would they be? You pick up little things like that and learn about players. So that when Dubi got to Washington and training camp opens, you feel like you’ve got a solid foundation of a relationship in place. You’ve learned about him. You know kind of the strengths inside of his game. Where he wants to get better.
“It just grows from there. That’s the fun part of coaching. Being able to help players in a team environment maximize their potential.”
Dubois says playing a top-six role again is one part of his resurgence, but he’s also appreciated the clean-slate approach Carbery and his teammates welcomed him with. From the start, the Capitals wanted him to get back to the player he was with the Jets. They indicated to him he had been a target of theirs before this opportunity arose.
“Sometimes, I think we try to really break down everything and deep dive into what, but sometimes it’s just very simple,” Dubois said. “The coaching staff here made that clear. And then the players here. That’s what has been fun. I don’t think they expected more or less. I think they just wanted me to come here and just have fun. Just play. Have fun. If I’m open, pass it. If I’m not open, make your play. If you feel like you should shoot (the puck), shoot. There hasn’t been any expectations — it’s just been be yourself.
“I come here, and they wanted me to get a bigger opportunity. And if you take it, you take it. If you don’t, that’s on the player. But the players in here and the staff in here have been clear with that. I think that’s been a huge part of it.”
The initial Dubois trade, for Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, Gabriel Vilardi and a second-round pick, ranks among Blake’s worst deals, if not the biggest blunder in his eight seasons running the Kings. But by flipping Dubois to Washington, Blake got Darcy Kuemper, the 34-year-old Stanley Cup-winning goalie who struggled and lost his place with the Capitals.
The teams swapped problem contracts that don’t look so problematic now. Kuemper, who has two years left on a deal that carries a $5.5 million cap hit, grabbed the No. 1 job from the outset. He is tied for second in the league in goals-against average (2.29) and in a four-way tie for fifth in save percentage (.915) with a 20-8-7 record.
It remains to be seen if he’ll provide better goaltending than Cam Talbot in the playoffs, but this gamble by Blake has paid off. Kuemper had a terrific 19-game run backing up Jonathan Quick in 2017-18 before establishing himself as a quality starter with the Arizona Coyotes.
“I think this is a unique situation,” Kuemper said. “Usually, it’s one position for the same position, which I feel like that makes it a little bit tougher because it’s always going to be compared to someone on the trade. And then maybe teams are a little bit more hesitant to do something like that. Unique situation where it’s two different positions.
“I think both teams were able to add a piece that they needed to fill and that’s why it’s been able to work out so great.”
Kings coach Jim Hiller said Dubois-for-Kuemper has accomplished what most teams have in mind when making a trade. The goal isn’t for one team to fleece the other.
“I don’t know if there’s been a trade like this one where it’s benefited both teams pretty much equally,” Hiller said. “So, I think that’s good on the general managers to put the deal together. The players to join their new teams and get comfortable quickly and to be able to contribute as much as they have.
“That one’s a win-win. That’s one that I think that everybody can feel good about.”
Matt Roy signed a six-year free-agent contract with Washington following his first six seasons with the Kings. In Dubois, Roy sees a confident player who is energized by his importance with the Capitals and who is riding the momentum of being among the NHL’s best teams (Washington is currently first in the league). “I think you’re seeing it play on both sides of the puck, which has been good, and he’s battling hard out there,” Roy said. “I’m really happy with the way he’s been playing.”
Roy said Dubois didn’t sulk or become a disruption when things didn’t go as planned in L.A.
“He always came to the rink with a good attitude,” the defenseman said. “He was never down in the dumps. He was always, in my mind, a good teammate. I think he tries to tune out the media, just like we all do as players. Once the trade happened, I don’t know, mentally he was just ready for something new and he got it. Here we are.”
The Kings quickly cut their losses before their acquisition became an albatross. The Capitals offloaded a goalie they no longer wanted. They both made out better than anyone anticipated.
“We all hoped that it would have worked out better,” Hiller said. “PL too, and us. And just for whatever reasons, it didn’t seem to click for him here. I don’t think anybody doubted the quality of the player that he was and nobody’s surprised with the season he’s having. Just for whatever reasons, it’s just one of those times — different time, different place, could have been different.
“We won’t look at it too much in hindsight. We’re just happy to have Darcy. We’re happy PL’s doing good. We’re also happy to see Roysie’s doing so well, too. There’s a longtime King that really gave his heart and soul to the team, too.”
