Capitals acquire Pierre-Luc Dubois from Kings for Darcy Kuemper

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

Both players appeared to be looking to move on from those pricey contracts, as neither team saw a fit for them after down seasons. Dubois struggled immensely in his first season with the Kings on his new deal, and there were even rumors of an impending buyout before this deal, especially with Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault on the team. Meanwhile, Kuemper lost his starting gig to Charlie Lindgren, so the Capitals felt like they had no need to have both goalies next season.

There was no salary retained in the deal for either team.

Dubois, who will turn 26 on June 24th, had the worst season of his career, with just 16 goals and 24 assists for 40 points in 81 games, along with just one goal in five games in the playoffs. He currently has seven years left on his eight-year contract with an $8.5 million cap hit.

In Dubois, the Caps get a potential upgrade at center over Dylan Strome and Hendrix Lapierre, should the Ste.-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec native return to the level of play that saw him put up three 60-point seasons. It could potentially give them another playmaker for Alex Ovechkin to get him closer to the goals record, and also better center depth to be more competitive next season after a sweep in the first round of the playoffs.

Kuemper, 34, also had a down year in Washington, with a 13-14-3 record, an .890% save percentage, one shutout and -1.73 goals saved above expected. He currently has three years left on his five-year contract with a $5.25 million cap hit.

The Kings see Kuemper return to their organization in hopes that he can find his form and become their starting goaltender for the 2024-25 season after dealing with inconsistent goaltending issues for a couple of seasons now. Kuemper joins David Rittich and Pheonix Copley as the possible options in net for the Kings next season.