The Los Angeles Kings entered the offseason with a decision to make on Pierre-Luc Dubois. Well, it appears they have come to a decision as they are finalizing a deal to send him to the Washington Capitals, per Elliotte Friedman.
‘Not sure what’s out there — still on plane — but hearing Pierre-Luc Dubois is being traded to Washington.'
It appears Dubois is being traded for Darcy Kuemper, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.
‘Hearing Kings and Caps finalizing a trade involving Pierre-Luc Dubois and Darcy Kuemper.'
This is a massive NHL deal ahead of the draft. LeBrun reports it is a one-for-one with no salary involved, so this is a big deal for both teams.
Dubois had been hit with some buyout rumors, although the Kings front office insisted they weren't going to make that move. Dubois was also involved in recent trade rumors during the season, although nothing came to fruition and he played the rest of the year with the Kings.
Now, the veteran gets a fresh start with a new team and it seems he is excited about it, per Darren Dreger.
‘Pat Brisson on Dubois leaving LA to join the Caps. “PLD is currently on a plane; however, I was able to exchange with him regarding the opportunity to play for the Washington Capitals. He is very excited and looking forward to the challenge.”'
Now, he gets to start a new chapter in his career.
Examining the Kings-Capitals trade
Dubois signed an eight-year deal worth $68 million last offseason after being traded by the Winnipeg Jets. Now, the Capitals are on the hook for the remaining of that. For perspective, Darcy Kuemper signed a five-year deal worth $22 million in 2022, so that's a lot of money Washington is on the hook for.
The Kings reunite with Darcy Kuemper, who was most recently with the franchise in 2018-2018. He also spent time with each of the Minnesota Wild, Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, and Capitals.
Dubois struggled this past season, scoring 16 goals in 82 games for the Kings. After the season, Dubois promised and vowed to be better: “I'm committed to having a better season. I'll do anything to be better…I know I can do better. My first year in Winnipeg didn't go well, it was kind of the same thing – a lot of new things, new role, new everything. I didn't panic, I knew what I could do…I'm not panicking, I'm not stressed. Is it frustrating? Sure. Is it hard? Yeah. It was eight months or a year ago I was playing how I can play. It's not lost. I gotta get back to it, and that's on me.”
Now, Dubois lands with the Capitals in a fresh start. The Capitals got swept by the New York Rangers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and are determined to turn things around to make a run in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how this trade works out for both teams, especially with the NHL Draft around the corner.
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