The Washington Capitals made a slew of big moves this past offseason, fueling an on-the-fly retool that has them atop the NHL’s standings nearly a month into 2025. Their climb to the top has made them one of the most talked-about stories in the league, and the club recently was the subject of a profile done by ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski.
In Wyshynski’s article, the team’s entire 2024 offseason is analyzed, including specific details about the shocking move that made Pierre-Luc Dubois a Capital. Dubois came to DC from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for goaltender Darcy Kuemper on the heels of a disappointing 40-point season on a Kings team that had just signed him to a massive eight-year, $68 million extension.
According to Wyshynski’s reporting, the Capitals had interest in Dubois even before this past June:
The Capitals tracked Dubois’ path from Columbus to Winnipeg. They tried trading for him in summer 2023 before the Jets sent him to Los Angeles. They got their man last offseason, with his stock the lowest it has been.
Washington’s prior interest in Dubois had been known since 2021, when nearly half the league reportedly inquired about what it would take to pry him from the Blue Jackets. Dubois had requested a trade out of Columbus and did the same with the Winnipeg Jets just two years later.
The Capitals are Dubois’ fourth team over the last five seasons, which has led to extensive rumors and speculation that he’s a toxic teammate. Wyshynski said that Washington did their research on Dubois before pulling the trigger on the move and believed that his performance issues in LA were not related to anything regarding his attitude or other off-the-ice problems.
“He was playing behind two good centers in L.A. It seemed like he wasn’t getting the opportunities he needed to get,” general manager Chris Patrick told Wyshynski. “There was still a good player there, but he was too buried in the lineup.”
Washington then confirmed with Tim Barnes, the head of their analytics department, that Dubois’ primary issues in LA revolved around the Kings’ already high usage of Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault down the middle. Dubois played 15:42 minutes on ice per game with Los Angeles, only the second time in his career that he averaged less than 16 minutes per game in a season.
The Capitals’ persistence and homework have clearly paid off 46 games into the 2024-25 campaign. Dubois has remained Washington’s most consistent five-on-five performer despite the rest of the team’s ups and downs and his linemates often changing. In Dubois’s 638:58 of five-on-five ice time, the Capitals have seen 53.1 percent of shot attempts, 57.8 percent of expected goals, 57.6 percent of scoring chances, and 59.2 percent of high-danger chances.
Dubois, 26, has also been challenged nightly by head coach Spencer Carbery to match up with the opposition’s top center. Despite that, he is on pace for a career-best scoring season, recording 36 points (8g, 28a) in 46 games. Since November 10, Dubois’ 28 points (7g, 21a) in 32 games also lead the Capitals in scoring.
