Pierre-Luc Dubois was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for goaltender Darcy Kuemper to the Washington Capitals.
The 25-year-old center had 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 82 regular-season games for the Kings this season and one goal in five Stanley Cup playoff games. Los Angeles (44-27-11) was eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the Western Conference.
Dubois was traded to the Kings by the Winnipeg Jets on June 27, 2023 and immediately signed an eight-year, $68 million contract ($8.5 million average annual value) through the 2030-31 season.
“Well, I don’t think I’ve done a good job of integrating him into the right roles on the team this year,” Los Angeles general manager Rob Blake said. “You know, I think it wasn’t very good for us in that regard, and we take responsibility for that.”
The No. 3 pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets, DuBois has 342 points (145 goals, 197 assists) and 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 516 games with the Kings, Jets and Blue Jackets. In 43 playoff games.
Kuemper was 13-14-3 with a 3.31 goals-against average, .890 save percentage and one shutout in 33 games (30 starts) for the Capitals this season. The 34-year-old was Charlie Lindgren’s backup when Washington (40-31-11) was swept by the New York Rangers in a four-game series in the first round of the Eastern Conference.
This will be Kuemper’s second time with Los Angeles; He went 10-1-3 during the 2017-18 season with a 2.10 GAA and .932 on-base percentage in 19 games (15 starts). He is expected to co-star with David Ritchie next season.
“I think the goaltending in turn, obviously with Darcy, getting to know him, our goaltending department understanding him and having a relationship with him,” Blake said. “I think the duo with him and David can help stabilize that position for a few more years, continuing our growth with (Eric) Portillo in the American (Hockey) League. We’ve seen some good things from him this year, but we’ll have two, three years down the road. And I think that will help solve the problem for us here.
Selected in the sixth round (No. 161) of the 2009 NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild, Kuemper went 178-135-46 with a 2.61 GAA, .914 save percentage and 31 starts in 389 games (368 starts) with the Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, Arizona Coyotes, Kings and Wild. He is 17-10 with a 2.72 GAA, .908 save percentage and two shutouts in 34 playoff games (30 starts).
Kuemper has three seasons remaining on his $26.25 million contract ($5.25 million AAV) signed by Washington on July 13, 2022.
“We are thrilled to announce the addition of Pierre-Luc to the Caps organization,” said Capitals General Manager Brian McClellan. “This acquisition brings a talented 25-year-old with great potential to become a top-level center in the NHL. With his size, exceptional skating and high hockey IQ, we are confident that he will add more responsibility and opportunity to our organization.
“Furthermore, we thank Darcy for his valuable contributions to our organization on and off the ice and wish him the best in Los Angeles. After watching Charlie Lindgren’s performance last season, we believe he deserves the opportunity to play a more prominent role on our team.”
NHL.com independent reporter Dan Greenspan contributed to this report.