Kings Offload Pierre-Luc Dubois in Trade With Capitals

Karl Rasmussen | Jun 19, 2024

Los Angeles Kings center Pierre-Luc Dubois skates against the Anaheim Ducks. / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Kings have officially pulled the plug on the Pierre-Luc Dubois experiment, parting ways with the veteran forward in a trade with the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.

In exchange for Dubois, the Kings will receive goaltender Darcy Kuemper from the Caps.

It was a crucial move for Los Angeles to rid themselves of Dubois's contract. The 25-year-old had a no-movement clause in his contract which was set to activate on July 1. If he wasn't dealt by then, Dubois would have been owed the remaining $57.5 million over the next seven seasons by the Kings.

L.A. acquired Dubois last offseason in a sign-and-trade deal with the Winnipeg Jets, whom he had grown disgruntled with. The trade saw the Kings part ways with Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari, as well as a 2024 second-round pick. It's clear the Jets came away as the winners of that exchange.

In 2023-24, Dubois registered 16 goals and 40 points, his worst scoring output in a season since 2020-21. Considering he's making $8.5 million annually, the production was woefully insufficient.

The Capitals will be Dubois's fourth franchise in the NHL as he prepares to enter his eighth season, having previously spent time with the Montreal Canadiens and Jets.

As for Kuemper, L.A. will be on the hook for the remaining three years of his contract at an average annual value of $5.25 million. In 2023-24, the former Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup winning goalie featured in 33 games and logged a save percentage of .890 while surrendering an average of 3.31 goals per contest.