Pierre-Luc Dubois didn’t expect to be traded after just one year remaining on his eight-year contract, but he has “no hard feelings” toward the Los Angeles Kings. As for what went wrong with the Californian club, the Quebecer is careful not to go into details…
A week has passed since the one-for-one trade sending Dubois to the Washington Capitals for goaltender Darcy Kuemper.
Last week, Kings general manager Rob Blake took responsibility for the forward’s lackluster offensive output — 40 points in 82 games — saying he failed to “fit him into the right roles on the team.” “It wasn’t a good fit for us and we take responsibility for that,” he added.
Dubois did not comment on Blake’s words Wednesday in his first media availability since the trade. Instead, he explained, without going into detail, that “in hockey, sometimes there are things that work and others that don’t work.”
Even if he is aware of not having had the season that he “hoped for”, nor the one that the Kings management “expected from [him]”, the 26-year-old forward did not expect to change his position. team this summer. Obviously, no one signs an eight-year contract planning to change their address 365 days later – or 364 in this case. Especially since Dubois has played for three different teams since 2020. A little stability, we guess, would be welcome…
“When I went to the World Championships, it was a bit to turn the page on the season. As the tournament progressed, I found myself playing better and better. […] Was there, in the back of my mind, perhaps a doubt that this would happen? Maybe, but I think it’s a bit too much to think negatively, about things you can’t control. »
More than once, Dubois has said that hockey “is a business,” that teams “do what’s best for them.” “That’s where it ends, it’s nothing personal,” he insisted.
Dubois nonetheless seemed to take genuine joy in joining the Washington Capitals, a team he “was excited to watch on TV when [he] was young.” The native of Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts was on a plane when he was informed of the transaction; after the “surprise” of changing teams against his will for the first time in his career, he quickly felt “excitement”.
Quickly, he was in contact with the leaders of the Capitals. And this contact, he said, gave him the impression of a “perfect fit”.
“The first conversations I had with them, with the general manager or the coaching staff, it’s exactly what you want to hear as a player. You want to have an opportunity to show the best you have, to be the best player you can be, and that’s exactly what they said I was going to be able to do. »
On several occasions, Dubois spoke of this positive first impression. He who considers himself “still very young” at 26, believes he still has “a lot of things to learn in this league”.
To achieve this, the secret is that of communication, believes the Quebecer.
“The coaching staff will be able to decide where they employ me. From there, it’s my job to do the best I can. When there is communication, clear communication, white and black, I think it is the best environment to grow and progress. Based on the conversations I’ve had from the coaching staff, it sounds like that’s how things will go, so it’ll be exciting to work with them. »
In Washington, Dubois joins an aging core that needed reinforcement at center. He also finds his former roommate with the junior national team, Dylan Strome. “I’m joining a team that has a lot of talent, with good players, with a good mix of young people and veterans,” summarized the 6’4”, 225 lb. forward.
In September, he will arrive in Washington with “extra motivation.” The one born from his difficult 2023-2024 season offensively, and from a trade he had not planned…
“You can look at it in all sorts of different ways. Me, I decide to look at it as an opportunity that excites me. […] I think it will be a very good thing for my career. »