Los Angeles Kings center Pierre-Luc Dubois is ready to get the next season going. Dubois says he wants to do a whole lot better next year after a disappointing campaign skating for L.A.
“I'm committed to having a better season,” Dubois said, per The Score. “I'll do anything to be better.”
Dubois joined the Kings before the 2023-24 campaign, coming over from the Winnipeg Jets. The center struggled to get on the ice, averaging only 15 minutes of playing time this season, per games played. He appeared in all 82 regular-season contests for L.A.
Dubois' season in L.A.
Dubois and the Kings bowed in the Western Conference Playoffs on Wednesday, losing their series to the Edmonton Oilers in five games. Dubois had just one goal in the postseason. The Kings also struggled on defense, giving up 18 goals to the Oilers in their four losses.
The center knows that he and his team have to be a lot more productive moving forward into next year.
“I know I can do better,” Dubois added. “My first year in Winnipeg didn't go well, it was kind of the same thing – a lot of new things, new role, new everything. I didn't panic, I knew what I could do. … I'm not panicking, I'm not stressed. Is it frustrating? Sure. Is it hard? Yeah. It was eight months or a year ago I was playing how I can play. It's not lost. I gotta get back to it, and that's on me.”
In the regular season, the center finished with just 40 points. His production included 16 goals, which was the lowest amount he had since the 2020-21 campaign. The center also had a plus-minus of -9 on the season, which was a career low for Dubois. The center struggled to find his role on the Kings' roster.
“I played on a lot of lines this year,” Dubois added. “I think any player, at the end of the day, wants consistency because then you can build some chemistry and you can get things rolling. I think that's not a secret. … That helps a lot.
“Next year's a new year. We'll see what happens. The only thing I can control is how good of a summer I can have.”
Dubois certainly has high expectations for himself, but so do Kings fans. The center was the third overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft. In his career, he has scored 145 goals and recorded 197 assists. He has played in more than 500 career NHL games, for the Kings, Jets, and Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Kings also paid good money to bring in the center from Winnipeg. Dubois is known as the $68 million man, after signing a long-term deal in Los Angeles that pays him about $8 million per season. The team simply needs him to produce.
The Oilers move on to face the Vancouver Canucks in the next round of the NHL playoffs, after defeating the Kings.
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