One year ago, things were completely different for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois. He signed a long-term contract with the Los Angeles Kings to be an offensive force for them. However, after one campaign with the team, they traded him to the Washington Capitals in exchange for goalie Darcy Kuemper. Dubois has seven seasons left on what was an eight-year deal with L.A. Despite how things have worked out between Dubois with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Winnipeg Jets, and the Kings; there is a good opportunity ahead with the Capitals. If both sides find Dubois as a fit, this could be a fantastic seven seasons ahead.
Pierre-Luc Dubois’ Stints Before Washington
While some people have soured on him for how the last few seasons have been, Pierre-Luc Dubois is a great talent. His overall stats since joining the NHL speak for themselves. Before he had a rough season with the Kings, Dubois posted the following in Columbus and Winnipeg:
- 2017-18 (Blue Jackets): 20 goals and 28 assists for 48 points in 82 games
- 2018-19 (Blue Jackets): 27 goals and 34 assists for 61 points in 82 games
- 2019-20 (Blue Jackets): 18 goals and 31 assists for 49 points in 70 games
- 2020-21 (Blue Jackets): one goal in five games
- 2020-21 (Jets): eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points in 41 games
- 2021-22 (Jets): 28 goals and 32 assists for 60 points in 81 games
- 2022-23 (Jets): 27 goals and 36 assists for 63 points in 73 games
Dubois is a proven skilled player. He has hit the 20+ goal mark on four occasions. While he still has yet to hit 30, he has been very close three times. When he is on his game, he is one of the most dangerous players on the ice.
Looking at his lone campaign in L.A., Dubois scored 16 goals and 24 assists for 40 points in 82 games. The Kings had certain expectations they wanted him to meet, and they decided it was best after 2023-24 that they wanted to move in a different direction. Sometimes, a player does not fit with a certain team. That seems to be the case with him and the Kings. Not meeting expectations was not why he left the Blue Jackets or Jets though. He felt it was best to move on from those teams. The Blue Jackets even re-signed him before he was dealt later in the 2020-21 campaign. It had nothing to do with his production. The only team he ever really had a production problem with was in L.A. last season.
Pierre-Luc Dubois Could Have the Right Fit in D.C.
While things look great on paper for Dubois on the Capitals right now, soon fans and the team will know how he does once he steps foot on the ice with his new teammates. There is a lot of talent that he could be paired with. Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery and his staff will have to see who Dubois gels with during training camp and in the preseason. A few centers he could be shuffled with on a line include Dylan Strome, Aliaksei Protas (who can play both center and wing), Connor McMichael, Nic Dowd, and Hendrix Lapierre. If Carbery uses Dubois as a left winger, the Capitals have a potential solid one-two punch with him and Alex Ovechkin on that side.
Pierre-Luc Dubois needs to get adjusted with his new team. However, if things can click, Dubois can be a core part of the future of the organization. He is one of a few players on the Capitals roster with a long-term deal. Others include Strome, Protas, Tom Wilson, Rasmus Sandin, and Matt Roy.
Dubois and the Post-Ovechkin Era
Looking at the long-term future, the Alex Ovechkin Era is almost over in D.C. He currently has two more seasons left on his contract. After that, it is possible that he could retire from the game or go back to Russia and suit up for a KHL team like Evgeny Kuznetsov just did. Ovechkin also could re-sign with the Capitals, but eventually he is no longer going to be a member of the Washington roster. That is inevitable.
Former Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan already started setting up the next era for the club with some of the contracts he has given out and players he has brought in. Dubois can be one of the faces of the offense for the Capitals during this next chapter. New GM Chris Patrick will need to continue building for the post-Ovechkin Era ahead, but they already have a nice player who can be a goal-scoring leader if called upon. If the franchise can get 20-30 goals out of him consistently during his contract, the Capitals will come out of this trade feeling fantastic.
