Kings Trade Dubois to Capitals for Kuemper

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As per Pierre LeBrun, the Los Angeles Kings have traded Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Washington Capitals in exchange for goaltender Darcy Kuemper. Ultimately bringing him back to the LA, where he played 19 games for the organization back in 2017-18.

There have been numerous rumours circling about the possibility of the Kings buying out Dubois, even after GM Rob Blake shut down the rumours.

Now that the Kings have moved on from him, it gets them out of his contract, which has seven years and $59.5 million remaining on it.

In return, the Kings bring in a reliable starting goalie who has struggled to find his way with the Capitals. Kuemper, who won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2021 and signed with the Capitals during that off-season, has been a shell of himself.

With only three years remaining and an AAV of $5.25 million, the Kings can finally have a starting goalie who can be a part of their team for the next few years. The hope is that he can re-find his game in LA and become the same goalie that he was with the Avalanche.

This deal makes a ton of sense for both sides and will benefit both hockey clubs.

The Kings get their starting goalie that they have been without since trading Jonathan Quick, who may finally be able to win them a playoff round.

As for the Capitals, if they can bring Dubois back to the player he was supposed to be, they are getting a number-one center for the next seven seasons. He will get the opportunity to play alongside Alex Ovechkin but will also be a part of the retool as their younger prospects become NHL pros.

Although it was a one-for-one trade, it was a good old-fashioned hockey trade that addressed the needs of both teams. It doesn't get better than that.