Los Angeles Kings Trade Pierre-Luc Dubois to Washington Capitals for Darcy Kuemper

The Los Angeles Kings traded center Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Washington Capitals in exchange for goaltender Darcy Kuemper.

Originally acquired by the Kings in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets last June, Dubois had been signed to an eight-year, $68 million extension by the Jets before his move to Los Angeles. The Kings envisioned Dubois as the future successor to Anze Kopitar as their No. 1 center. However, his initial season in Los Angeles didn’t live up to expectations.

In his debut season with the Kings, Dubois scored 16 goals and tallied 24 points over 82 games, finishing with a minus-9 rating. During the playoffs, he registered one goal and accrued 20 penalty minutes in five games against the Edmonton Oilers. These performances fell short of what the Kings had hoped for when they acquired him.

Despite General Manager Rob Blake's initial reservations about buying out Dubois' contract, the Kings ultimately decided to move him, driven by what appears to have been buyer's remorse.

Dubois now heads to the Capitals with hopes of reviving his career.

The trade fills a significant gap for the Capitals, who had earlier traded away Evgeny Kuznetsov to the Carolina Hurricanes. Additionally, the team has been dealing with the absence of Nicklas Backstrom, who stepped away from the NHL due to injuries last season.

Capitals General Manager Brian MacLellan expressed confidence in the newly acquired Dubois, noting that he fills a critical void at center. "We are thrilled to announce the addition of Pierre-Luc to the Caps organization. This acquisition brings in a talented 25-year-old with immense potential to become a top-tier center in the NHL. With his size, exceptional skating, and high hockey IQ, we are confident he will thrive in our organization with increased responsibility and opportunity," MacLellan said.

Darcy Kuemper, returning to the Kings, had signed a contract with the Capitals in 2022. Over 90 games in two seasons with Washington, the goaltender achieved a .902 save percentage and a 3.03 goals-against average. His departure from the Capitals was facilitated by the emergence of goaltender Charlie Lindgren, who earned the team’s trust with his performance last season.

Kuemper is no stranger to the Kings; he played 19 games for the team during the 2017-18 season before being traded to the Arizona Coyotes. The Kings are seeking a reliable goaltender following an injury to Pheonix Copley and with current goalies Cam Talbot and David Rittich entering free agency.

General Manager Rob Blake hopes that Kuemper can rejuvenate his career and bring stability to the Kings' goaltending department. "We need to make him better. 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," Blake explained.

This trade represents a significant shift for both franchises. The Kings are banking on Kuemper to provide the reliability they need in goal, while the Capitals are betting on Dubois' potential to fill a critical center position.

Capitals' General Manager Brian MacLellan also expressed his faith in Dubois' ability to thrive in this new setting. "After witnessing Charlie Lindgren's performance last season, we believe he deserves a chance to play a more significant role within our team," MacLellan said.

Both teams hope that the swap will bolster their rosters and provide the necessary spark to compete at the highest levels in the upcoming NHL season.