The Columbus Blue Jackets selected Pierre-Luc Dubois with the third overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. After following up a solid rookie year with a 61-point season, it was looking like he would be a household name in Columbus. Little did everyone know that he would be playing for his fourth NHL team at 26 years old.
Dubois started his career with the Blue Jackets and suited up from 2016 to 2020, totaling 159 points (66 goals, 93 assists) in 239 games. After requesting a trade, he went to the Winnipeg Jets, in exchange for the second overall pick of the same year, Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic, where he played from 2020 to 2023, recording 143 points (63 goals, 80 assists) in 195 games. In 2023, Dubois was traded to the Los Angeles Kings and played one year with the team accumulating 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists).
Related: Analyzing the Capitals & Kings Dubois-for-Kuemper Trade
The 2016 third-overall pick hasn’t found a home yet in the NHL. Dubois’ tenure with the Blue Jackets ended after he requested to be traded. He also requested to be traded out of Winnipeg after putting up back-to-back 60-plus point seasons, a mark he hasn’t hit since the 2018-19 season with Columbus. His one year with the Kings was forgettable after putting up 40 points while playing bottom-six minutes, leading to a trade to the Washington Capitals.
This season, Dubois is up to 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 24 games with the Capitals, a pace that would put him at about 55 points (10 goals, 45 assists) for the season. Dubois bounces between the top two offensive lines and is on the first power play unit.
Dubois’ Solid Start, But Power Play Production Struggling
Dubois’ production on offense has been gradually increasing with two goals and eight points in his last 10 games. In that time the Capitals are 7-2-1 and have won four straight games. He’s been switching with Dylan Strome on the top two offensive lines and it seems to be working effectively as the Capitals average 4.21 goals-per-game. The Quebec, Canada native has made up for his low goal total with unselfish play in the offensive zone as he has 13 assists, nine of which are primary according to MoneyPuck.com. Additionally, he is quieting critics that say he is lazy on the ice by showing everyone that he will do whatever it takes to win games even if he isn’t scoring.
PLD MAD DASH TO ICE THE WIN APPRECIATION POST pic.twitter.com/TMQSmXPEu4
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 1, 2024
When he got to Winnipeg, his production with the man advantage significantly increased. Seeing a larger role on his new team from replacing Laine on the power play, Dubois embraced the challenge. During the 2021-22 season, 15 of his 28 goals came with the man advantage and 27 of his 63 goals with the Jets would also come that way.
However, this season he hasn’t seen the same success yet only notching three points with the man advantage. Despite the slow start to his power play production, he notched an assist on Nov. 30 against the New Jersey Devils after finding Connor McMichael in the slot.
Opportunity knocks and Mikey takes advantage#ALLCAPS | @BlueHalo pic.twitter.com/XN9gXafO6j
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 1, 2024
The Capitals are 14th in the NHL with a 22.7 power play percentage, so eventually Dubois should start potting goals. Though, with the loss of Alex Ovechkin and TJ Oshie, Dubois will be pressured more to make plays and generate offense with the man advantage.
Capitals Won’t Be Dubois’ Final Destination
The eight-year contract Dubois signed has a no-movement clause that ends after the 2027-28 season. The following season it turns into a modified no-trade clause with a 15-team no-trade list, which drops to 10 teams for the final two years of his deal. By then, Ovechkin will likely retire and their current core retired or elsewhere. It is possible that the Capitals keep Dubois and build around him, but I think they’ll move him for draft picks when they can.
Related: Capitals Take Down Devils 6-5 in Thriller
After Ovechkin retires, the Capitals will go into full rebuild mode as they will be without a cornerstone player for the first time since 2005, the year they drafted him. Dubois won’t be that guy as he will be 30 years old when the modified trade clause comes into effect. I believe Dubois is a great fit for the Capitals right now in keeping them a contender for the Stanley Cup while Ovechkin continues to play. Eventually, he will be shipped out as a result of a full team rebuild with the aging core.
There is no doubt that Dubois has made an impact with the Capitals as they hold a 17-6-1 record and sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division. The next four years will see Dubois as an imposing two-way power forward in a division built upon a grind-it-out playstyle. But as each year passes, the Capitals won’t need an aging star and will look to the draft for the next franchise player to fill the shoes of its current captain.
