ARLINGTON, VA — Pierre-Luc Dubois is getting another tenant.
A day after Cole Hutson signed his entry-level contract with the Capitals, he got a text: how would he feel about living in with the Dubois? Hutson asked for some time to think about it, but told reporters on Tuesday that he’d be taking the offer.
“(I’ll) probably ask him later today if I can end up moving in soon,” Hutson said. “I haven’t told him that yet, but I don’t think I could do this hotel for much longer.”
“Is he coming? Oh, that’s news to me,” Dubois said, grinning, when told Hutson was accepting the invitation.
Dubois knows the realities of hotel living all too well. Before his first training camp with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2016, the team asked prospects to come to town early, and Dubois ended up living in the team hotel for six weeks before returning to juniors. He recalled the days spent alone and cooped up in a single room, a fate he didn’t wish on any of his teammates.
“That’s not fun,” he said. “You want to – you don’t want to go home, but you want to be at home. You want to be in a home. And to play with that mindset is kind of tough.
“So just to be able to go to a home with a guy, and have your own room, and your own living room, and all that kind of stuff, I think it just helps out your play on the ice too…Just met Cole this morning, but (he) seems like a really nice kid.”
Since joining the Capitals last season, Dubois has been happy to open his home to the team’s young players. Rookie Ryan Leonard moved in with Dubois last spring when he signed his entry-level contract, returning that fall before eventually staking out on his own.
Dubois’ wife Maddie was pregnant when Leonard moved out, and he joked at the time that “two kids in the house and three dogs would be a lot.” But even with a baby taking up much of their time at home, the couple found that they missed having a rookie around. That, plus the awkward timing of Hutson’s arrival, made extending the invite an easy decision.
“(Maddie) says she misses Ryan, so she gave the green light for Cole,” Dubois said. “It’s such a weird circumstance, (to come in) and there’s 14, 15 games left in the season. It’s a lot of time, but at the same time, it’s not. It’s a lot of time in a hotel; it’s not really enough time to get an apartment or anything. Last year with Ryan was a lot of fun, so doing it again was a no-brainer.”
Head coach Spencer Carbery praised Dubois for welcoming Hutson into his home, describing the gesture as indicative of the team’s overall culture.
“That just speaks to the character of our group,” Carbery said. “And Dubie, I know, did that last year for Leno. But all of our guys are just so welcoming, to make people feel completely at home. And I think it’s one of the biggest strengths of our culture, is it doesn’t matter who you are, where you came from, trade, free agency, draft. When you come and you’re a part of the Caps organization and part of our team, you’re welcomed so quickly that it makes people feel like they can just be themselves.
“And that’s such an important part of being able to perform at the highest level of your individual capabilities. When you can let your guard down and just be yourself, it helps a lot.”
Leonard, a longtime friend of Hutson, had nothing but good things to say about his time in the Dubois household.
“It was great…to not just go back to a hotel room by yourself and have nothing to do,” Leonard said. “[Hutson will] have someone; he’ll have the dogs, Maddie, (their baby). So he’ll be busy. I told him it’s a lot of fun. They’re great hosts…I just [told Hutson to] be yourself and don’t be shy. It takes a little bit, right, to get used to living with someone that you’ve only met once or twice. But I’m sure he’ll figure it out fairly quick, just like I did.”
Dubois has learned one lesson from hosting Leonard, though: don’t jump into the deep end with cooking. During their time as roommates, Dubois poked fun at Leonard’s culinary adventures, from marinating meat to assembling premade meals. He took the chance Tuesday to chirp Leonard’s cooking once again.
“We’ll start slow (with Hutson), Dubois said. “We don’t want any fires in the house, so we’ll start slow. We’ll see where he’s at. Can’t be worse than Ryan, though..Ryan wasn’t a good cook. Now he’s pretty decent. So we’re open to any kind of experience.”
Leonard, for his part, vigorously disputed Dubois’ characterization of his skills.
“I was a good cook at the Dubois household,” he said.
Hutson’s arrival comes with the Capitals just barely clinging onto their playoff hopes, currently seven points out of a playoff spot with a 2-4-1 record in their last 7 games. Even with Hutson in the lineup, Washington’s odds are slim, but the opportunity to welcome a new rookie could bring a morale boost to the team’s locker room.
“It’s fun,” Dubois said. “Everybody’s excited to see him and meet him today. Ryan came in last year and was roaring left and right already — he’s a little calmer than Ryan — but it was fun to meet him. It’s fun to see him out there. Everybody, we’re going to try to get to know him as much as we can. But, yeah, it’s a little boost for sure.”
