Pierre-Luc Dubois has spent much of the last year out of the lineup, losing most of the 2025-26 season to injury and missing five of the last 10 games while out sick. But when he’s healthy enough to play, he’s been one of Washington’s top skaters.
Not only has Dubois found offensive success, tallying 89 points (26g, 36a) in 116 games for the Capitals, but he’s emerged as a key two-way player capable of shutting down other team’s stars.
Asked about Dubois’ importance to the team, head coach Spencer Carbery joked that he was nearly afraid of jinxing him through compliments.
“I almost feel like I go into this too much because it’s almost, like, bad,” he quipped, knocking on the podium for luck. “He’s just okay. If he’s in the lineup, great.”
Sarcasm aside, Carbery went on to highlight Dubois’ role.
“He’s just a big part of our team,” he said. “Center ice position, matchups, big body, plays in a lot of different situations and a lot of difficult minutes, so he’s a huge part.”
Dubois has become the Capitals’ go-to center at even strength for defending against star players, and he quickly slotted back into that role when returning from illness against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. Of the 14:31 Dubois played at five-on-five against Buffalo, 8:31 came against high-scoring winger Tage Thompson, who tallied 9 points (5g, 4a) in his first 10 games of the season. During those minutes against Dubois, Thompson went pointless, and the Capitals out-chanced the Sabres 3-1.
Through the season as a whole, the Capitals have recorded 58.52% of expected goals with Dubois on the ice at five-on-five: though they’ve been out-chanced 35-34, they hold a 16-13 advantage in high-danger chances and have outscored opponents 5-1.
Dubois spent most of the 2025-26 season sidelined, undergoing abdominal and adductor surgery in November before returning in early February, ending the season with 19 points (5g, 14a) in 29 total games. That lengthy absence arguably cost the Capitals their postseason — they finished just four points behind the Ottawa Senators for the second wild-card spot in the East. While having him healthy may be less flashy than some of the Washington’s offseason acquisitions, the team hopes his presence will positively impact their season trajectory.
Carbery had a front-row seat to Dubois’ shutdown talent long before he came to DC. Carbery recalled watching Dubois play on December 5, 2021, when he was assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Dubois was with the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets trounced the Leafs 6-3 in that game, thanks in no small part to Dubois’ ability to hold Auston Matthews at bay. Matthews was the first selection at the 2016 NHL Draft, while Dubois went third overall.
“When I was in Toronto, I remember playing in Winnipeg. And him and Matthews would go at it,” Carbery recounted. “ He would be all over Auston. And they’d be in a scrum, off of face-offs. And I’m like, ‘Damn, this guy plays Auston hard.’ Because Auston would never usually get into it with guys and that. And [Dubois] had Auston in a bit of a — he was not happy that night. And to his credit, they beat us pretty good. And it was neutralized. I saw it firsthand in that experience.”
Tensions boiled over in that game, with Dubois and Matthews eventually getting into a wrestling match in the third period.
Dubois has come into his own in Washington, but the Capitals saw his defensive potential before they acquired him from the LA Kings in 2024.
“We did a lot of homework on Pierre-Luc, and we were comfortable,” Carbery said of the Capitals’ pre-trade research process. “We knew that he thrived in those types of minutes. And his underlying numbers and film in those types of minutes were very, very positive. So I think we knew that that was something that he had done well. Now you never truly know until he gets here. But we were comfortable and heard a lot of — yeah, we just did a lot of homework.
“And it’s turned out and it’s been a great fit for him and for us as a team…we were looking for a top-line center. Obviously we had Stromer (Dylan Strome), but also someone that could play a little bit of a different role than Stromer plays. He’s done a great job.”
Off the ice, Dubois also serves as a valuable member of Washington’s locker room, particularly as a mentor to young players. He’s become a frequent host to Capitals rookies as they adjust to the NHL, welcoming Ryan Leonard, Cole Hutson, and Lynden Lakovic. Not only does that give young players a less lonely place to live, but Dubois has also provided plenty of life and culinary advice, including introducing Lakovic to several common vegetables.
With Dubois now in his third season with the Capitals, Carbery highlighted his integration into both the organization and the area as a whole.
“(He’s) just someone that’s much more comfortable in our locker room, in the community,” Carbery said. “He lived here basically all summer. He came back extremely early, skating. So you can tell that DC is home for him and this organization and community is home for him.
“So he’s really embraced that and knowing that he’s going to be a big part of our future here and hopefully one day win a Stanley Cup. And him being such an important centerman and just overall player in that coming to fruition. Yeah, he’s all in.”
