Jason Chen and Michael Amato preview the season ahead for the Los Angeles Kings from a fantasy hockey perspective. PL Dubois [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNTM4NTYzMTMxNTgyMDA1/usatsi_21627471_168400847_lowres.jpg] PL Dubois This feature on PL Dubois appears in September's Meet the New Guys Issue at The Hockey News. Find this article on the new Los Angeles Kings center, along with features on the Toronto Maple Leafs, Erik Karlsson joining the Pittsburgh Penguins, the new PWHL and much more by receiving the issue for free with an annual subscription here [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription?variant=40229701419142]. There Pierre-Luc Dubois sits, overflowing with joy, in a crisp, white T-shirt, tattoos poking out. In fact, it seems it’s about all he can do to stifle a full, toothy and goofy grin, one seemingly teeming with equal parts overwhelmed excitement and relief, as he speaks about what his first handful of days as a member of the Los Angeles Kings have been like. The relief bit stems from navigating his tricky relocation from the Winnipeg Jets, an arduous process that culminated with Dubois slapping his signature on an eight-year, $68-million contract extension and being shipped off to La La Land. As for the excitement, well, beyond moving from the Canadian Prairies to sunny Southern California and a team in transition to one on the upswing, there are at least 68 million reasons for that, even if house hunting in one of the most expensive cities in North America is right at the top of his to-do list. There is, though, a strange undercurrent to the proceedings. On a day that should only be euphoric for all involved, there’s an air of skepticism. Not that this isn’t all real, mind you. Dubois is sitting right there, live and in living color. Los Angeles has indeed landed and locked in one of the top talents on the market. And Kings fans can celebrate the strengthening of their bid for Western Conference contention. Yet, as Dubois speaks to reporters about past visits to L.A., his goals for the year and where he’ll fit into the lineup, beneath the surface lie questions about whether this – his third team in four seasons – is where he’ll be to stay. When the subject is finally broached, when he’s asked about whether this is a chance for him to rewrite the narrative that has surrounded him for the past few seasons, Dubois smiles again. He chuckles. And then he pinches the bridge of his nose. It might seem absurd, especially as he’s formally meeting with media for the first time since his big-ticket acquisition and long-term signing. It’s also not a question most would expect of a player whose pact includes four years with a no-movement clause and three with no-trade protection. Then again, everyone understands why he’s being asked. It was less than three years ago, and just three seasons into his career, Dubois told the Blue Jackets he wanted out. Then, from the time he wound up in Winnipeg, few were the moments his future and whether he wanted one with the Jets wasn’t discussed. It did eventually become clear he didn’t have designs on remaining with the franchise, though that’s not to say his departure wound up acrimonious. “Everybody looks at those decisions, and some people agree, some people disagree, some people think this, some people think that,” Dubois said. “Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion, but at the end of the day, it’s my life. I have to do what I think is right. And I had three unbelievable years in Columbus, three great years in Winnipeg, with both organizations I learned a lot and met some unbelievable people, but I felt like I was ready to move on to a new chapter in my career, in my life, and now I’m here in L.A., where I’ve signed an eight-year deal, and I couldn’t be happier.” He’s right, of course. These are his decisions to make. And perhaps the handwringing around this nomadic span to start his career is a bit overwrought. It’s easy enough to understand why that would be. In a league and a sport that oftentimes appears allergic to personality to the extent of anaphylaxis, individualism is so often frowned upon. It doesn’t take much, rightly or wrongly, to get saddled with a reputation. And in Dubois’ case, demanding to be traded out of Columbus and the subsequent disinterest in putting down roots in Winnipeg has painted him in a particular light among a subset of hockey fans. “I think I’m misunderstood at times, but I think a lot of people don’t really know me. And that’s fine.” - Pierre-Luc Dubois The unfairness here is that Dubois, the third-overall pick in 2016, isn’t really much different from his peers, even among his draft class. Among the top 10 selections in 2016, only Auston Matthews and Clayton Keller remain with their original clubs, and there are 11 players from that first round who, like Dubois, are about to or have already played for their third NHL franchise. It’s true some of those relocations were team- and not player-driven, but consider the case of 2016’s second pick overall, Patrik Laine, the man dealt to Columbus for Dubois. Laine’s move came amid rumblings he wanted out of Manitoba’s capital. The No. 6 pick in 2016, Matthew Tkachuk, made clear he had no desire to ink a long-term extension with the Flames before being shipped from Calgary to the Florida Panthers, and he has since only further solidified himself as one of the NHL’s great young leaders. And Jakob Chychrun, the 16th-overall pick in 2016, spent seasons – plural – requesting to be moved by the Arizona Coyotes. Yet the perception of Dubois simply feels different. More charged. More contentious. Less reporting and more gossip column. It was enough that he admitted he had moments where he wanted nothing more than to “grab the microphone” and set the record straight himself. “There’s times you read stuff and you’re like, ‘Wow, that’s not me,’ or ‘I never said that,’ or ‘I would never say or do or think that,’ ” Dubois said, “but in this day of social media, sometimes the most outrageous comments, they get the most attention.” So, what about Dubois, specifically, even necessitates he rewrites some nebulous narrative in the first place? For many, it’s an infamous, lackadaisical shift [https://youtu.be/_qVfzJz8GKE?feature=shared], ultimately his last in Columbus, in which he seemed lost, unengaged and frustrated, that earned him the ire of and a benching by then-coach John Tortorella. For that, Dubois’ drive, his heart, his desire, his passion – essentially any of the attributes the old-school, grit-minded, game-was-better-when types believe is what wins hockey games – has been called into question. And, hey, Dubois said it himself: everyone is entitled to their opinion, and that shift wasn’t Dubois’ best. But while it was a lightning-rod moment, Dubois didn’t hesitate in January 2021 to point out the ludicrousness of all the pearl clutching. Asked about the shift in his first meeting with media upon becoming a Jet, he said he had done the math and noted that the shift was only one in an NHL career that had then spanned 300 games and 6,000 shifts across the regular season and playoffs. Those numbers have since climbed to more than 450 and 10,000, respectively. Not every one of those has been a Picasso. But the vast majority of Dubois’ time in the NHL has been such that he was not just a steady and reliable two-way contributor but also a prolific offensive force for both the Blue Jackets and Jets during his tenures with those clubs. “Whether you finish your career with 800 points or 843 points, if you didn’t win, you didn’t win.” - Pierre-Luc Dubois But none of this is anything Dubois wants to talk about anymore, not really, despite how graciously and thoughtfully he handles the questions. He’s not looking back or living in the past, he said. Instead, he wants to view this next chapter in Los Angeles as an opportunity to showcase a different side of himself. “I think I’m misunderstood at times,” Dubois said, “but I think a lot of people don’t really know me. And that’s fine. Sometimes, in this world, it’s hard to get to know guys. You know, my mom always tells me to show my personality more in interviews, but sometimes you can’t, you know? So, I think now it’ll be a fun opportunity for me to just be who I am and not show anybody, not prove to anybody, but just fully be me.” What exactly does that mean? As far as the on-ice aspects, it’s not so difficult to dissect. When Dubois is himself, playing to the apex of his ability, he’s the same hulking, physical, hardnosed pivot he’s been since the day he arrived in the NHL as a 19-year-old. Now that he’s 25, he refers to himself as an “old young guy.” He’s been around the block a few times, inching closer toward his 500th big-league contest and fresh off one of the most successful campaigns of his career. In 73 games last season, playing with all of the contract uncertainty hanging over his head, Dubois notched 27 goals, one shy of his career high. He reached new heights with 63 points. He was a focal point of the power play. And he averaged 18:27 per outing, working hard to become difficult to handle in all three zones. What being himself most certainly is not is seeing the zeroes on his paycheque and believing he needs to be the type of player who values ultimately meaningless milestones. As nice as a big, round number like 30 goals would look on his resume, he doesn’t seem at all concerned with ticking off those boxes. If statistical success is a by-product of his play? So be it. “Whether you finish your career with 800 points or 843 points, if you didn’t win, you didn’t win,” Dubois said. “That’s the only thing on my mind. And to be around this group and all of the things I’ve heard this week, I haven’t met everybody yet, but the people I have, the only thing on everybody’s mind here is to win, and nothing else matters.” Among those for whom winning is all that matters, and no doubt among the most important figures in Dubois’ journey to elevate his game in Los Angeles, will be Anze Kopitar. Dubois cites the Kings captain as a childhood favorite, and he sees the opportunity to work alongside Kopitar as one that can help him elevate his game, adding and honing the elements necessary to mold Dubois into the franchise cornerstone he’s now paid to be. Whether Dubois is playing down the middle or on the wing, he believes he can grow by soaking up Kopitar’s knowledge, understanding his preparation and absorbing the shift-in, shift-out details that make Kopitar one of the NHL’s best two-way centers. None of this is unlike how the new King came to understand the game in the first place: learning by osmosis, watching game tape with and getting quizzed by his dad, former professional blueliner and current AHL Manitoba Moose assistant coach Eric Dubois. The Hockey News' Meet the New Guys Issue is free with an annual subscription at THN.com/free. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNTM4Njc5OTAxMDA1Mzk5/thn_7703_ig.jpg] The Hockey News' Meet the New Guys Issue is free with an annual subscription at THN.com/free. What this next chapter looks like for Dubois away from the rink is more difficult to pin down. Though he cuts an imposing figure and speaks with confidence, the reservedness he hinted at when suggesting his mom wanted him to showcase his personality won’t subside overnight. But that’s not to say he won’t open up little by little. He’s prideful, for instance, when speaking about the work he was set to do back in Rimouski, Que., with the Pierre-Luc Dubois Foundation. Formerly known as the Vincent Lecavalier Foundation, Dubois took the reins and helped it start anew when Lecavalier – yes, that one – decided it was time to take a step back. Dubois jokes a bit, too, about being something of a good-luck charm when visiting other pro-sports clubs in Los Angeles – the MLB Dodgers won with Dubois on hand, and the Galaxy pulled off an MLS upset as he watched on. He even allows a peek into his off-ice interests when he excitedly speaks about checking out Los Angeles’ neighborhoods and seeking out coffee shops and dining spots, name-checking the world-renowned Nobu Malibu as one eatery he’d already hit. In fact, talking about the never-ending list of recommendations that have come his way in the short time he’s been with the Kings seemed to thrill him, and his love of exploration seems to be something he comes by honestly. In tow during his dad’s on-ice and coaching career, Dubois regularly found himself adapting to new surroundings. The first year of his life was spent in England. He learned to skate in Germany. Then, the family was off to Baie-Comeau and Rimouski, before Dubois set out on his own to pursue his big-league dreams. Maybe most important about this version of Dubois, however, is that it’s one who is content not only with his on-ice situation but his off-ice one, too. The ink on his deal has dried. He’s a Los Angeles King. And his pact suggests he’ll be one for the next eight years. So, after spending the better part of the past few seasons in the rumor mill for one reason or another, perhaps finally, at long last, all the will-he-stay-or-will-he-go chatter can subside. “The stability is something that feels good, but now it’s also in my mind that I’m ready to get to work,” Dubois said. “Eight years is a long time, and the dream and the objective is obviously to win a Stanley Cup, but you don’t want to win just one. You want to win a couple, and the effort and the sacrifices you make in Year 1 can pay off in Year 8. You never know when you’re gonna win, but I think if you set yourself up every year, you have a good opportunity, and I’m just really excited to get (to Los Angeles) and to know this is where I’ll be for the next eight years. I’m just really thrilled right now.” THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTg5MzM3NTA5NzY2MjUy/my-thn-ad-banner-1500x150.jpg] THN.com/free
