BREAKING: Dubois Will Be Out 'An Extended Period Of Time' For Capitals With Lower-Body Injury

The Capitals will be without Pierre-Luc Dubois long-term going forward.

ARLINGTON, V.A. — Pierre-Luc Dubois is going to be out long-term, as coach Spencer Carbery said on Monday that he will miss “an extended period of time” for the Washington Capitals due to a lower-body injury.

It’s unclear if he’ll require surgery at this time.

Dubois, who was just a couple of games into his return from an unrelated injury, was taking a face-off late in the first period of Friday’s game against the New York Islanders when he was hit off the draw and buckled before going down to the ice in visible pain. He needed help getting to the bench, and wasn’t putting much weight on his leg as he went down the tunnel.

“It’s a huge hole. Arguably right up there last year with one of our most valuable and most important players on our roster. I’m not going to sit here and sugarcoat it and say that you can replace him at this point in the year,” coach Spencer Carbery said. “But, you can still be a good hockey team and win a lot of hockey games with injuries... that’s what he’ll focus on. He’s out now, and now we’ll need other players to step up.”

Dubois, who Washington acquired from the Los Angeles Kings back in June 2024, made his mark as a staple on the Capitals’ top-6 and power-play asset after putting up 20 goals and 46 assists for 66 points last year.

The 27-year-old played in just six games this season before going down with injury.

With Dubois out, the Capitals brought up Spencer Smallman to help fill the void.