The Washington Capitals traded for center Pierre-Luc Dubois — a player they’ve long been rumored to covet — in exchange for struggling goaltender Darcy Kuemper.
A week later, Dubois met with Capitals media, including RMNB, on Zoom to speak about his latest big move.
“The moment I found out it was the Washington Capitals, I was extremely excited,” Dubois said. “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 talented playmaker revealed that he was excited about the possibility of centering Alex Ovechkin on the Capitals’ first line, especially because of the history it might involve.
“I was on the ice when he scored 802,” Dubois said. “That was pretty cool to be a part of, and I was on the other team. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be on the ice maybe. To be able to play with the best goal scorer of my generation and hopefully, one day soon the best goal scorer in NHL history is pretty crazy to think of.
“I’m excited. The first text that I got from my friends and family was all pretty much the same thing. To be able to assist in a moment like that, to be there I’m sure would be something incredibly special, not only in my career but in my life, too.”
Ovechkin scored career goal number 802 on an empty net against the Winnipeg Jets on December 23, 2022. The goal saw Ovechkin move past Gordie Howe for the second-most goals in NHL history, leaving just Gretzky remaining to topple.
Ovechkin has since added 51 more goals to his ledger, moving just 41 markers shy of Gretzky’s 894 total with two years still left on his contract with the Capitals. Washington is betting on Dubois reconnecting with the high-level offensive ability he showed off early in his career to help move the chase along.
The 26-year-old pivot has also been open about his preference for playing with Russian linemates and there is none better in the history of the game than Ovechkin.
The Great Eight saw the two primary playmaking centers in his career, Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov, both leave the team’s lineup last year so the addition of Dubois could be vital. The final decision on a possible pairing will be up to head coach Spencer Carbery but the two will surely get a chance to gel in Training Camp.
Carbery played almost every NHL center on last year’s roster with Ovechkin by the end of the season and without a ton of success outside of a few stretches with Dylan Strome. Dubois’s acquisition may allow Carbery to better slot the team down the middle and see the more shoot-first Strome lead another line.
Dubois hopes to be in the DC area sometime in August to get a head start on Training Camp. The Capitals typically start gathering for informal team practices at MedStar Capitals Iceplex around then, a month before Training Camp is normally scheduled to begin.
