Dubois Opens Up About What's Made Capitals The 'Perfect Fit': 'When You're Just Asked To Be Yourself, Everything Else Follows'
The 26-year-old center explains why the Capitals have felt like home and what's attributed to his success after a career first year in the District.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — Pierre-Luc Dubois feels — and looks — like a brand new player.
As he takes the podium at Washington Capitals breakdown day, he's not somber, not faced with criticism or questions regarding why he didn’t reach certain benchmarks or expectations going forward.
Instead, he smiled as he reflected on his career year and why the Capitals have been such a “perfect fit” — his words — so far.
“This is the most fun I’ve had playing hockey,” Dubois said. “This group, the enthusiasm, the fun we have, is contagious and it bleeds onto the ice… I couldn’t have asked for more, I couldn’t have asked for better.”
Just over a year ago, Washington took a big gamble, acquiring Dubois after a rough first year with the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Darcy Kuemper. They slotted him in as the second-line center to start, as coach Spencer Carbery hoped to get the most out of him that he could.
“I was confident that he was going to be a good player for us, but you never know. I mean, you hope that (he’ll succeed),” Carbery said, adding, “I was just so impressed with him, the whole package.”
Suiting up for all 82 games with the Capitals this season, Dubois put on a show with 20 goals and 46 assists for a career-high 66 points and a plus/minus of plus-27. He also took on more responsibility, averaging 17:18 minutes per night, and playing a key role as a shutdown center who goes up against other teams' top opponents.
“The way he played, the consistency, the level that he played at consistently night to night was tremendous,” Carbery said, noting numerous times over the course of the year that he should be a rising Selke candidate.
For Dubois, he said Carbery played a significant part in helping him find his game and setting realistic expectations.
“It’s pretty clear what (Carbery) wanted from me, we built that relationship of trust,” he said.
Ultimately, though, what’s made D.C. home for Dubois, and what’s allowed him to thrive here, is how he’s been able to simply be himself.
"When you’re just asked to be yourself and not do more, not do less, and you’re given the opportunity to do it and you’re given the chance to do it on the ice, everything else just follows,” Dubois said.
Entering the final six years of the eight-year deal he originally signed with the Kings, the 26-year-old is looking forward to what the future holds, and his goal remains to win a Stanley Cup.
“I’m excited for what’s to come… There’s a lot I can do better, and there’s a lot that I can improve on,” Dubois noted, adding, “But as we move forward, I think it’s going to be better and better.”
