Dubois was signed to an 8 year contract for $8.5M each season by the Kings just last offseason, but his first year in Los Angeles was so abysmal that they decided to get out of the contract quickly. There was rumours the Kings may buy out Dubois, but they may have found a taker in Washington to take on his entire salary.
According to David Pagnotta, the trade is Dubois for Darcy Kuemper. The trade is one for one, with no salary retained.
It looks like an incredible hockey trade for both teams. Washington lands a player with elite talent that can play center one of the best assets in all of hockey. On the other hand, the Kings offload the uncertainty of his contract, and gain a Cup-winning starting goalie in Darcy Kuemper. There will be long term cap savings for the Kings too, as Kuemper is only signed for 3 more years at $5.25M.
Dubois only scored 16 goals and 40 points with the Kings, and at times barely looked interested in even playing hockey. It was a year that did damage to his reputation as a player, and he'll look to correct that in Washington.
