Pierre-Luc Dubois was traded to the Washington Capitals by the Los Angeles Kings for goaltender Darcy Kuemper on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old scored 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 Western Conference first round.
Dubois was traded to the Kings by the Winnipeg Jets on June 27, 2023, and immediately signed an eight-year, $68 million contract (average annual value of $8.5 million) that runs through the 2030–31 season.
“Well, I don’t think I’ve done a good enough job of integrating him into the right roles on the team here this year,” Los Angeles general manager Rob Blake said. “You know, I think it wasn’t right for us in that aspect, and we’ll take responsibility for that.”
Dubois was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the No. 3 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, and has 342 points (145 goals, 197 assists) in 516 games with the Kings, Jets and Blue Jackets and 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 43 playoff games.
Kuemper was 13-14-3 with a 3.31 goals-against average, an .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 as the New York Rangers swept Washington (40-31-11) in four straight games in the first round of the Eastern Conference.
This will be Kuimper’s second stint with Los Angeles. He went 10-1-3 with a 2.10 GAA and .932 save percentage in 19 games (15 starts) during the 2017-18 season. He is expected to work alongside David Rittich next season.
“I think the goalie, on the other hand, is obviously familiar with Darcy, and our goalie department understands him and has a relationship with him,” Blake said. “I think the duo with him and David can help stabilize this position here for a few years, which continues our growth with (Eric) Portillo in the American (Hockey) League. We’ve seen some good things from him this year, but we also expect two or three years to go.” way, so I think this helps solve the problem here for us.
Selected by the Minnesota Wild in the sixth round (No. 161) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Kuemper is 178-135-46 with a 2.61 GAA, a .914 save percentage and 31 shutouts 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 the five-year, $26.25 million ($5.25 million AAV) contract he signed with Washington on July 13, 2022.
“We are pleased to announce the addition of Pierre Luc to the Capitals organization,” said Brian McLellan, Capitals general manager. “This acquisition brings a talented 25-year-old with tremendous 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.”
“We also thank Darcy for his invaluable contributions to our organization on and off the ice and wish him the best in Los Angeles. After witnessing Charlie Lindgren’s performance last season, we believe he deserves the opportunity to play a more significant role within our team.”
NHL.com freelance reporter Dan Greenspan contributed to this report
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