Pierre-Luc Dubois has officially arrived in DC.
The new Washington Capitals centerman skated with his new teammates for the first time at an informal skate at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Thursday morning.
Monumental Sports Network’s Tarik El-Bashir reported the news and shared video of PLD doing a drill on X.
Dubois wore a red Capitals practice jersey. He’s been wearing his new Capitals gear at least since the Shoulder Check Showcase charity game in late July.
Dubois joined John Carlson, Alex Alexeyev, Matt Roy, and Logan Thompson who are already in town. Former Capitals Anthony Mantha, Nick Jensen, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel are also skating at MCI before reporting to their new teams.
The Capitals acquired Dubois over the offseason in a one-for-one deal with the Los Angeles Kings, sending goaltender Darcy Kuemper back in exchange. The Caps are Dubois’s fourth team in the last four years.
“The moment I found out it was the Washington Capitals, I was extremely excited,” Dubois said shortly after the trade. “They’re a team that growing up you were excited to watch on TV. They’re a good team every year. And then when you grow up, you hear it’s a great organization with a great group there. My emotions went from surprise and shock to just really excited. Once I talked to the coaching staff, management, a few players, I couldn’t be more excited to get there.”
The 26-year-old center is coming off an underwhelming 40-point performance (16g, 24a) with the Kings after the Western Conference club inked him to an 8-year, $68 million contract in a sign-and-trade deal with the Winnipeg Jets a year ago. Dubois has seven years and $59.5 million remaining on his deal.
Dubois’s lack of production last season furthered his poor reputation across the league as a player who’s difficult to work with, though that was refuted by Roy who played with the pivot last season in LA.
“I love the challenge, and that’s my job,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said on the final day of Development Camp. “When we acquire players that have been very, very productive and have a ton of potential and have shown that potential, that’s what coaching is. That’s what I love to do. Hopefully [he] comes here, the environment, the team, the coaching staff, it enables him to be very, very productive and reach that potential that everybody has seen.”
With Dubois’s arrival, Connor McMichael could start the season on the wing if Hendrix Lapierre makes the team out of training camp. The Capitals have five NHL-caliber centermen and only four center spots available, with Dubois competing with McMichael, Lapierre, Dylan Strome, and Nic Dowd for playing time up the middle.
Dubois will wear number 80 in Washington — a tribute to his late former teammate in Columbus, Matiss Kivlenieks. Dubois has several relationships with current members of the Capitals heading into next season.
