Pierre-Luc Dubois joining the Los Angeles Kings was viewed as a huge victory for the team. Although it was first thought that this move would put them over the top, it appears to be more of a detriment.
In 2022–2023, his final season with the Winnipeg Jets, Dubois set a season high of 63 points. The Kings signed him to an eight-year $68 million contract, which equates to $8.5 million annually over the salary cap, because they were so confident in him. With just 16 points in 37 games this season, he is obviously not producing enough.
In exchange for Gabe Viladri, Alex Iaffalo, Rasmus Kupari, and a second-round selection, Dubois was transferred by the Jets to the Kings. Vilardi is already well ahead of Dubois in productivity, as seen by his 18 points in 22 games. Kupari only participated in 15 games before suffering a long-term injury, whereas Iaffalo has 17 points in 40 games. As things stand right now, the Jets are the obvious winners of the trade.
Dubois finsihed the game with 14:32 of ice time, he was a minus two, with no points, and no shots.
It appears as though Dubois did not get the message and more demotions, or even a healthy scratch, may be on the horizon.
