The Los Angeles Kings and Washington Capitals agreed to a blockbuster swap of star Goalie Darcy Kuemper and Center Pierre-Luc Dubois on Wednesday afternoon.
The deal will involve no salary retention for either franchise and no other assets are involved in the swap, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. The deal and terms were first reported by LeBrun.
Dubois was traded to Los Angeles by the Winnipeg Jets during the 2023 offseason for three players and a second-round draft pick. He signed an eight-year $68 million contract with the Blue Jackets the same day as the trade in a sign-and-trade scenario. He is tied to the Capitals through the 2030-2031 season. (RELATED: Moneypuck: NHL Team Taps Brainiac For GM Job)
Hearing Kings and Caps finalizing a trade involving Pierre-Luc Dubois and Darcy Kuemper
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 19, 2024
The star center struggled in his first year with the Kings, tallying only 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) while playing all 82 games. This is down from back-to-back 60-point efforts with the Jets, including a 2022-2023 season where he tallied 63 points in just 73 games.
Kuemper has been a model of consistency through his twelve seasons in the league, earning a save percentage over .900 each year of his career until the 2023-2024 season. Kuemper won a championship as the backstop for the Colorado Avalanche in 2022 and will look to return to goaltending dominance in Los Angeles in October.
The Goaltender signed a five-year deal with Washington in 2022 and is tied to Los Angeles through the 2026-2027 season.
