After much speculation, Pierre Luc-Dubois is officially a Los Angeles Kings.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Los Angeles Kings confirmed reports that they have landed the star center from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for forwards Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari plus a 2024 second-round draft choice.
Dubois signed an eight-year, $68 million extension with the Jets before he was immediately flipped to the Kings, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
Under the current CBA, teams can re-sign players for a maximum term of eight years. If a player wants to sign with another team, the maximum term is even years, so Dubois’ extension with the Jets allowed LA to get him for the max length.
Dubois made it clear to the Jets that he wasn’t keen on an extension despite tallying a career-high 63 points last season. This was the second trade request of Dubois’ career, as he also sought an exit from the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2020-21 season.
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Dubois was sent to Winnipeg in exchange for forwards Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic. Dubois helped the Jets to the postseason on two occasions, making this trade a minor win for the Central Division club.
Vilardi is also coming off a career year of his own in which he tallied 23 goals and 41 points in 63 games. The 29-year-old Iafallo had 14 goals and 36 points in 59 games for the Kings, helping them to a second straight playoff appearance. They were ousted by the Edmonton Oilers in the opening round for the second consecutive year.
