Wow! The Los Angeles Kings had been rumored to be considering a number of options with forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, all the way to a buyout, after a disappointing first year in LA. On Wednesday afternoon, they traded him to the Capitals.
Kuemper, 34, has three years remaining on his contract at a $5.25M cap hit.
Dubois, 25, signed an eight-year deal with the Kings after he was acquired that carries an $8.5M cap hit. After scoring 55 goals in 154 games over the previous two seasons, Dubois never worked in LA. He scored 16 goals in 82 games this past season and wasn’t happy being asked to be a third-line center behind Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault. He had a no-trade clause that would have kicked in on July 1.
Originally the 3rd overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft by Columbus, Dubois was traded to Winnipeg for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic at the deadline in 2021. The Kings traded Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari and a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft to Winnipeg to get Dubois last summer.