Dubois: Kings tenure 'a challenge that I wasn't good at'

Washington Capitals forward Pierre-Luc Dubois took ownership of his uninspiring one-year stint with the Los Angeles Kings ahead of his return to Hollywood.

"I learned a lot last year," Dubois told The Athletic's Eric Stephens. "Since my first days in Columbus, you're playing top-six (minutes). In Winnipeg, top-six. And then all of a sudden, you're not. It's a challenge, and it's not that it can't be done. But it is a challenge. That's on me. I've never hid behind that. That was on me. I was not good in that challenge."

The Kings acquired Dubois from the Winnipeg Jets during the 2023 offseason and signed him to an eight-year, $68-million extension. The move was supposed to fortify Los Angeles' Stanley Cup aspirations with enviable center depth along with Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault.

Dubois registered 40 points with the Kings, his lowest total in a full season in his eight-year career. Los Angeles traded him to the Capitals last June, and he's on pace for a career-high 72 points while averaging more than 17 minutes per night.

"When you play three shifts in a period and you used to play seven, it might be tough to have the same impact with three or four than you did with seven," Dubois said. "It might be tough to have the same impact when you played 20 (in a game) and now you're playing 11. ... It's a challenge that I wasn't good at. That's just how it is sometimes."

Dubois was traded to Washington for goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who's posted a .914 save percentage in 36 appearances this season.

The Capitals enter Thursday's contest leading the Eastern Conference. The Kings currently hold the third spot in the Pacific Division.