Thursday marks the first time Pierre-Luc Dubois heads back to Los Angeles following a short yet tumultuous tenure in the city.
Dubois spent one season with the Los Angeles Kings and while the 40 points in 82 games was among the lowest point-per-game totals of his nine-year career, that was just the beginning of his disastrous year.
The 26-year-old saw his ice time dwindle as the season progressed, ending with 15:42 average time on ice — his lowest since the 2020-21 COVID-19-shortened season — and certainly not what the Kings paid $68 million over eight years for.
His slump with the Kings also followed a pattern that saw Dubois request trades from both the Winnipeg Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets, who drafted him third overall in 2016. This all led to questions about his ability as a player, his drive to compete and, more importantly, his future in the league.
Dubois was traded to the United States’ capital in the 2024 off-season, before his no-move clause kicked in, for goaltender Darcy Kuemper and has enjoyed a bounce-back season on a resurgent Capitals team.
On pace to exceed his career-high in points, Dubois heads back to Crypto.com Arena for the first time knowing he didn’t rise to the occasion with Los Angeles.
“I learned a lot last year,” Dubois told Eric Stephens of The Athletic. “Since my first days in Columbus, you’re playing top-six. In Winnipeg, top-six. And then all of a sudden, you’re not. It’s a challenge and it’s not that it can’t be done. But it is a challenge. That’s on me. I’ve never hid behind that. That was on me. I was not good in that challenge.”
Dubois noted that playing down the lineup meant fewer shifts, and he struggled to make an impact while seeing less opportunity.
“It’s a challenge,” he said. “It’s not impossible to do. It’s a challenge that I wasn’t good at. That’s just how it is sometimes.”
Despite high draft pedigree, Dubois has failed to eclipse 70 points in the NHL. His career-high came in his last season with the Jets, where he potted 27 goals and 63 points in 73 games.
Playing as the Capitals’ second-line centre behind an also-resurgent Dylan Strome and averaging 17:19 per night, Dubois is on pace to hit 70 points for the first time in his career, with 57 in 65 games so far.
Dubois credits his rebound to the Capitals coaching staff and head coach Spencer Carbery in particular, who, according to Stephens, went above and beyond to build a strong relationship during the transition and to ease some of the pressure off Dubois.
“Sometimes, I think we try to really break down everything and deep dive into what, but sometimes it’s just very simple,” Dubois added. “The coaching staff here made that clear. And then the players here. That’s what has been fun. I don’t think they expected more or less. I think they just wanted me to come here and just have fun.
“I come here, and they wanted me to get a bigger opportunity. And if you take it, you take it. If you don’t, that’s on the player. But the players in here and the staff in here have been clear with that. I think that’s been a huge part of it.”
For their part, the Kings organization is happy to see Dubois reach his full potential with the Capitals.
“I don’t think anybody doubted the quality of the player that he was and nobody’s surprised with the season he’s having. Just for whatever reasons, it’s just one of those times — different time, different place, could have been different,” Kings head coach Jim Hiller told Stephens.
“We’re happy PL’s doing good.”
The first-place Capitals visit the Kings Thursday with puck drop scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT. Watch all the action on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
