The Capitals don't want to put too much expectation on Dubois going into camp.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — The Washington Capitals had a very busy offseason. They overhauled roughly a third of the roster while bolstering the offense, and it all kicked off with a trade for center Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Dubois didn't have the year he envisioned with the Los Angeles Kings, putting up 40 points in 82 games, but he believes he can bounce back in D.C. That said, what role will he play when he arrives?
Head coach Spencer Carbery provided some insight, and while he sees a lot of potential in Dubois' game, he isn't going to automatically make him the first-line center for Alex Ovechkin.
"I don't think it's fair to say Pierre-Luc coming in is going to now have the responsibility to set up O," Carbery said.
Looking at Dubois' game as a whole, Carbery said that he brings a lot more than just his playmaking, as the 6-foot-4 pivot can play a complete 200-foot game.
"He's a big body, can control the game, can skate, is very very has shown through his career of being able to be productive down the middle from a point production, from starting in his defensive zone, moving the puck and ending in the offensive zone," Carbery explained. "A lot of different things that you could say will set up O, but it'll just help us play at a higher level."
Dubois will certainly get time with Ovechkin as Carbery ponders his lines ahead of the season, while he'll also go back to familiar options like Dylan Strome, Hendrix Lapierre and Connor McMichael, who's expected to move to wing.
For Carbery, the preseason will be the perfect time to see what those combinations look like, and from there, he'll decide on where Dubois starts the year.
"We'll look at a bunch of different things. I've thought about this, that's the luxury of training camp and the length of it to be able to work on some things," Carbery said.