Getty Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Los Angeles Kings
The rumors won’t go away and Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Los Angeles Kings topped Frank Seravalli’s list of buyout candidates for the 2024 NHL offseason as published on Daily Faceoff on June 12.
Kings General Manager Rob Blake revealed his position on the Dubois situation regarding a potential buyout, sounding unwilling to pursue it. Seravalli, however, thinks cutting ties with the forward is the best approach to dealing with him.
“Yes, we heard GM Rob Blake say at locker cleanout day that the Kings were not planning on buying out Dubois. But this makes too much sense,” Seravalli wrote.
It’s buyout season soon.
Nine #NHL buyout candidates in 2024: t.co/5fPmGSXaWx
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Seravalli, however, thinks the Kings should take advantage of Dubois’ age while they can to save them a massive amount of money by terminating his contract before June 24.
“At least until June 24, it does [make sense to buy out Dubois]. That’s when Dubois turns 26. For now, he is 25, and that means the Kings are only responsible for paying one-third of the money remaining on his deal, instead of two-thirds which happens when he celebrates his 26th birthday,” Seravalli wrote.
“A 14-year buyout sounds painful now, but the majority of the cap hits are negligible at a time when the cap will be well exceeding $100 million per year,” Seravalli wrote. “The Kings would save $32 million in real cash–which is a serious amount of dough. It’s better to admit a mistake and pay a lesser price rather than double down and have it hurt much worse in the long-term.”
Pierre-Luc Dubois’ Los Angeles Decline Calls for Buyout
Dubois, a 25-year-old center, has seven years remaining on his contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $8.5 million. The buyout structure would extend over 14 seasons, varying from $1.1 million to $3.8 million per year, per CapFriendly’s buyout tool.
The Kings traded for Dubois in July 2023, sending the Winnipeg Jets forwards Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, and Rasmus Kupari, and a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft. The franchise instantly signed him to an eight-year contract worth $68 million after that.
Dubois scored 16 goals and 24 assists for 40 points in 2024, his first season with the Kings. That’s certainly a drop in production compared to his final seasons in Winnipeg. He scored 60 points in 2022 and 63 points in 2023 before getting traded.
The Columbus Blue Jackets drafted Dubois with the No. 3 pick in the 2016 NHL draft. The franchise traded him to the Jets in January 2021 in exchange for forwards Jack Roslovic and Patrik Laine.
Presidents’ Trophy Winners’ Buyout Candidate: Barclay Goodrow
Seravalli listed another forward among the top candidates to get bought out this offseason in New York Rangers’ Barclay Goodrow.
Goodrow, a veteran 31-year-old center, has three years remaining on his contract with an AAV of $3.64 million. The buyout structure would provide some cap relief to the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners. However, it would extend through six years with cap hits varying from $1 million to $3.5 million, per CapFriendly’s buyout tool.
“The Rangers think highly of Goodrow, who also scored some Empire State-sized goals for the Blueshirts in the playoffs. He netted more goals (6) in 16 postseason contests than he did (4) in 80 regular season games. Go figure,” Seravalli wrote.
According to Seravalli, buying out Goodrow “feels like a no-brainer,” considering the production given his salary.
“Nonetheless, $3.6 million is way too much to pay your fourth-line center, and there doesn’t appear to be much upward mobility in the lineup for Goodrow. He does his job, and he does it well, but his contract throws New York’s cap balance out of whack.”
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Insider Sees LA Kings Release $68 Million ‘No. 1 Buyout Candidate’