Washington Capitals acquire Pierre-Luc Dubois from Los Angeles Kings for Darcy Kuemper – TSN.ca

The Washington Capitals have acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for goaltender Darcy Kuemper.

The deal is one for one with no salary retention. 

Dubois recently completed the first season of an eight-year, $68 million contract with an average annual value of $8.5 million he signed with the Kings on June 27, 2023.

The 25-year-old posted 16 goals and 40 points in 82 games in his first season with the Kings. He finished the year minus-9 while averaging 15:42 of ice time, the eighth-most among forwards. He added one goal in five playoff games.

Drafted third overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets at the 2016 NHL Draft, Dubois spent three seasons in Columbus before being dealt to the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 23, 2021 in exchange for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic. He was traded again to the Kings in June 2023 for Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, and Rasmus Kupari, and a 2024 second-round pick. 

Kuemper, 34, had a 13-14-3 record last season with a .890 save percentage and 3.31 goals-against average.

The 6-foot-5 netminder is on the third season of a five-year, $26.25 million contract with an annual cap hit of $5.25 million. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2026-27 season.

Drafted 161st overall by the Minnesota Wild in 2009, Kuemper has a career 178-135-46 record with a .914 save percentage and 2.61 GAA split between the Wild, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, and Capitals.

Kuemper helped the Avalanche win their first Stanley Cup in 21 years in 2022 by registering a 10-4 record with a .902 save percentage and 2.57 GAA during their playoff run.