If the Kings plan to bring back Pierre-Luc Dubois, wouldn't it make sense to use him as a winger rather than down the middle?
There has been talk recently that the Los Angeles Kings should use Pierre-Luc Dubois as a winger next season rather than down the middle. The reason behind that is that, naturally, he was a winger and had a lot of success at the position in junior hockey.
It wasn't until the Columbus Blue Jackets drafted him in the 2016 NHL Draft that he was converted to a centerman. This could be the catalyst behind his struggles since he became an NHL'er.
In his post-season press conference, Kings GM Rob Blake spoke about how Quintin Byfield is close to being an everyday centerman in the NHL. This has a lot of people thinking about a spot on the wing being up for grabs and the likelihood that the team converts Dubois back to a winger for next season.
This could be the answer to fixing Dubois' struggles. He has proven he isn't a bad player; he just has a bad reputation due to his attitude issues early in his career and his lack of effort when he wasn't happy with his previous clubs.
The Kings have from now until July 1 to decide what the plan is before Dubois' trade restrictions come into place. They will need to decide if they are planning on bringing him back or moving on only one season into his new extension.