Recapping Dubois' Year With The Los Angeles Kings

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Now that the Los Angeles Kings and GM Rob Blake have closed the Pierre-Luc Dubois chapter, it is time to look back and see how the organization got here.

Flashback to the initial trade with the Winnipeg Jets that brought Dubois to the Kings.

Trade Breakdown:

Los Angeles Kings: Pierre-Luc Dubois

Winnipeg Jets: Gabriel Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari, Alex Iafallo, and a 2nd-round pick in 2024

This trade also came with an extension; the Kings signed Dubois to an eight-year, $68 million contract.

Unfortunately, like so many other trades in professional sports, this one was met with a lot of criticism. Many people felt that the Kings gave up too much to acquire his service.

However, both the organization and the player felt that they could prove them wrong. Sadly, that wasn't the case with Dubois in his first year with the club. He collected 40 points in 82 games and struggled to be consistent for the bulk of the season.

It is important to remember when looking back at this trade that Blake and his management group felt they were getting a former third overall pick in the 2016 NHL draft. Dubois was a productive player in his young career, but some obstacles forced him to be a part of two teams very early in his career.

When things don't work out, there is always going to be talk. The noise would be unbearable, but Blake knows all about that and dealt with it the best way he saw fit.

He didn't buy out Dubois like so many NHL insiders suggested he would; he flipped him one-for-one and got his club a starting goalie. He also did that with no retention on Dubois' contract, which flies under the radar but should be talked about more.

Trade Breakdown:

Los Angeles Kings: Darcy Kuemper

Washington Capitals: Pierre-Luc Dubois

Dubois is now a member of the Washington Capitals and will likely be a major part of Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's goal-scoring record.

As for Kuemper, he gets another chance in the NHL with a better team with a much stronger defense core.

Yes, he struggled last season, with the Capitals posting a 13-14-3 record with a 3.31 GAA and an 890 SV%. He will likely have a confidence boost from being traded and wanted by an organization like the Kings. He will also likely find more success under Jim Hiller's defensive structure than he did in Washington.

All in all, the Kings may have lost the initial Dubois trade based on a season of production. They were able to act fast to get out of the full contract and find themselves a starting goalie who has a Stanley Cup ring with Blake's former team, the Colorado Avalanche.