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The Washington Capitals have acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Los Angeles Kings for goalie Darcy Kuemper.
The trade seemingly comes out of nowhere, but NHL insider Frank Seravalli says it is a straight-up one-for-one swap with no salary retained.
Dubois was traded to the Kings last summer from the Winnipeg Jets and signed an eight-year $68 million deal as part of the trade. However, the forward failed to live up to expectations as he recorded just 16 goals and 24 assists for 40 points in 82 games.
Dubois also had a full no-movement clause that was set to kick in on July 1, so Los Angeles didn’t have to get his permission to be dealt to Washington.
In return for Dubois, the Kings are acquiring goalie Kuemper from the Capitals. Kuemper has three years left on his five-year $26.25 million deal he signed with Washington in 2022.
Kuemper, like Dubois, struggled last season as the goalie went 13-14-3 with a 3.31 goals-against average and a .890 SV%. He had even lost his starting job as Kuemper didn’t play in any of Washington’s four playoff games.
Dubois was a Possible Buyout Candidate
After just one season with the Kings, Dubois was rumored to be a potential buyout candidate. However, Los Angeles general manager Rob Blake shot that idea down.
“We need to make him better,” Blake said, via ABCNews. “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.”
Dubois, meanwhile, was also aware of the potential move to buy him out or be traded, but at the end of the season, the forward said he wasn’t thinking about being moved.
“It’s out of my control,” Dubois said. “I can only control what I can control… 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. I’m committed to having a better season. I’ll do anything to be better… 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.”
Dubois will look to have a better season with the Capitals. His agent told NHL insider Darren Dreger that Dubois is eager for the opportunity to play in Washington.
“PLD is currently on a plane; however, I was able to exchange with him regarding the opportunity to play for the Washington Capitals. He is very excited and looking forward to the challenge,” Pat Brisson said.
Dubois will be playing on his fourth NHL team since being drafted third overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2016. He has also played for the Jets, Kings, and now the Capitals.
Capitals Move Off Kuemper
Washington signed Kuemper back in 2022 to be their starting goalie after the 34-year-old led the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup.
However, with the Capitals, Kuemper struggled and last season lost his starting job to Charlie Lindgren. Lindgren is also now the only goalie on Washington’s NHL roster, so the Capitals will need to sign or trade for a goalie this offseason.
Following the blockbuster deal, the Capitals will have just under $13 million in cap space, once LTIR goes into effect, according to CapFriendly.
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