Pierre-Luc Dubois did not come at all as advertised in his first season with the Los Angeles Kings, putting together one of his worst years as a professional hockey player in 2023-24 — but he will remain on the roster come training camp.
Kings general manager Rob Blake confirmed on Monday that there are no plans to buy out the 25-year-old, despite rumors that the exact opposite could happen this summer.
“Rob Blake also said today there are no plans to buy out Pierre-Luc Dubois,” reported Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman.
Instead, Blake — who also confirmed he will remain the general manager in 2024-25 — says the team needs to help him improve.
“We need to make him better,” Blake said on Monday, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. “He's had a consistent performance over his career so far and deviated from that this year. It's up to us to help him become more productive to us.”
After putting up 27 goals and 63 points in 73 games in his final season with the Winnipeg Jets, Dubois managed just 16 goals and 40 points over a full 82-game slate this year. He also added just a single point in the playoffs as the Kings lost to the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1 for the third consecutive year.
“If play like I can play, we're not having these questions right now. I take the blame. I take responsibility. It's on me,” the Quebec native admitted. “I'm committed to having a better season. I'll do anything to be better.”
Dubois made it clear he can only control what he can control, and acknowledged that a buy out or potential trade is a real possibility. But it looks like, instead, he'll get at least one more crack at it with LA in 2024.
Pierre-Luc Dubois knows he can be better next season
Still, the former No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NHL draft is making a hefty $8.5 million against the salary cap for the next seven seasons, and something needs to change or else this signing will turn into a complete disaster.
Dubois was acquired from the Jets in a blockbuster trade last June, which sent Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, Gabriel Vilardi and a second-round pick back to Winnipeg. He was immediately signed to an eight-year, $68 million contract that began in 2023-24.
The skilled forward pointed to a new defensive system as partly to blame for his troubles, as well as playing nearly three minutes less per game. Over 516 NHL games, he's accounted for 342 points.
“When you show up to a new team, there's a lot of new roles and new systems. I played on a lot of lines this year. I think any player at the end of the day wants consistency, knowing who you're going out there with,” Dubois reflected, per Wyshynski. “I'm not panicking. I'm not stressed. Was it frustrating? Sure. But [my game] is not lost. I just got to get back to it, and that's on me.”
It'll be interesting to see if PLD will be able to find his game with the Kings next season, and whether that will translate to the team returning to the dance in 2025.
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