INSTANT ANALYSIS - Pierre-Luc Dubois Traded for Darcy Kuemper

Steve Dangle, Adam Wylde and Jesse Blake discuss the blockbuster that saw Pierre-Luc Dubois traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for goaltender Darcy Kuemper.
For general inquiries email: [e-mail]
Reach out to www.sdpn.ca/sales to connect with our sales team and discuss the opportunity to integrate your brand within our content!

[@RipleyAtHome]

This trade doesn't feel very CapsFriendly

[@theeze1426]

let the memes hit the floor

[@danmcleanish]

Very clever.

[@zacloomer1921]

“I can fix him” -Washington Capitals

[@bhbecca]

Sounds like what I say to myself about every woman I date-- "I can fix her."

[@Sundagar]

As a Caps fan, i'm absolutely screaming NOOOO right now. Getting rid of Kuempers' contract was great, acquiring a 7year Dubois contract in return was criminal at best.

[@kevincluster1451]

The caps are a team that needs a rebuild/retool they are in a better position to handle this contract than LA. Maybe PLD can still turn his career around, and this could be a win for the caps.

[@deltagolavista1]

I compare him to JT Miller. 2 years ago everyone was calling him a bum and look how he turned his perception around. Players are going to have down years. As long as PLD can check his ego (and after the season he had, he should), he'll be a good pick up for the caps.

[@oIRONITEo]

​@@deltagolavista1he hasn't been able to literally anywhere else.

[@jeterisawesome]

Why? As a Caps fan you should know it doesnt fuckin matter. What are the Caps doing the next few years frankly, it's not trying to win a cup that's for sure. This trade is inconsequential and only serves to get Ovi the record. The term and cap hit do not matter at all, the Caps aren't trying to contend and theyre going to be entering a long term rebuild the second Ovi retires. It has no effect on the Caps

[@b0nez_]

I strongly disagree. I am a caps fan myself and i like the trade. I think it is actually a very good gamble by the caps. Right now you are in no position to be a contender and PLD might make you better if he plays as good as he can and if he doesn't workout, you have to retool anyway and by the time the caps prospects are ready his contract will be much more managable.

[@wilseph1]

Rob Blake doing a Kyle Dubas. Getting rid of their own mistake...and paying dearly for it.

[@willsk7068]

We are still suffering from his contract handouts.

[@kurtwpg]

"We're not going to buy him out"

[@wilseph1]

@@kurtwpg "We can, and we will."

[@thomasbrown9402]

@@kurtwpg He's not a liar, lmao

[@MarkD699]

Vilardi, Iafallo, Kupari, 2nd round, PLD for Darcy Kuemper. Great job Rob!

[@alleyeditor]

Vilardi will always be an Arvy - Always hurt!

[@Al_Camino77]

To be fair Iafallo is grossly underpaid and Kupari is fast and that’s it.

[@jasondamron1766]

Remember, that 2nd was Sean Durzi

[@joj164]

Obviously the PLD experiment was a disaster for the Kings but I don't know why people are now acting like this was some huge package they gave up for him. Iafallo is nothing special and Kupari is barely an NHLer. Vilardi is the guy who has a chance to haunt LA but he has a ton of trouble staying healthy

[@Al_Camino77]

@@joj164 the Jets need to hit on that 2nd round pick to make this the win everyone says it is.

[@Silenceaverted]

Kuemper played some of his best hockey in LA back in 2018 so that might be a blessing in disguise

[@cmac3530]

You realize 2018 is going to be 6-7 seasons ago, right?

[@Silenceaverted]

@@cmac3530 yes that’s fine, better than 6-7 more seasons with Dubois

[@drewsacks]

@@cmac3530 Well he also won a Cup two years ago. So, he still has shown that he has some pedigree. Worst case scenario, they buy out his last year.

[@jasonpaul4308]

PLD wants to be the assist where Ovi breaks gretzky's record....next day he requests a trade lol

[@holden9278]

Rob Blake started to go downhill as soon as Mark Bergevin got to LA Blake was doing a good job before that, and he has done an atrocious job ever since Bergevin came along i wonder how much Bergevin is in his ear

[@ATHIP12]

His last good trade was for Fiala, and it has been a disaster since then.

[@drewsacks]

@@ATHIP12 That's true. It Has been a disaster since then.

[@eddiemin4312]

You guys forgot about Kovalchuck and Petersen contract

[@ATHIP12]

@@eddiemin4312 You are correct that those happened before Bergevin, and I actually don't mind both those signings. The team was going nowhere when Kovalchuk was signed, so it didn't really hurt anything. Petersen was a small mistake, but the bigger mistake was dumping that contract. He incorrectly thought the team was a contender for the last 2 years and has been making moves too early. In reality, the window should just be opening now, when the Petersen contract was about to come off the books.

[@BMXIX]

As a Habs fan I can tell you Bergevin is a curse, he will ruin your team.

[@wbj2000]

Winnipeg owned LA in that trade.

[@sixty8ight]

spare parts. the only one that really hurts is the second. i guess, maybe vilardi for the 40-60 games he plays per season.

[@camh9800]

@@sixty8ight Nah, you guys got fleeced. Now you end up with a mediocre goalie for a good few years of prospects.

[@drewsacks]

Kings fan and I totally agree. The 2nd round pick.... what was he even thinking. Desperation kicked in.

[@tfrantastic]

Imagine if the Jets traded that 2nd for Liane!

[@mcloggerton9185]

Laine is going to be traded for the not much more than pld

[@raymondclouston6255]

Quick was 18-9 with 2.62 Gaa and .911 save %…..as a back up in NY. He still has value in the right situation.

[@kftc1980]

This deal was made because the Caps believe Dubois can reach his potential. Cue the laughter.

[@ryanmussell739]

The cap friendly guys must be screaming.

[@tonijarvela9985]

Imo this is huge risk for both teams. PLD could rebound back to that 60-65 point player and still be little overpaid or he could be that 4th line player with one of the worst contracts ever. LA thinks they can use Kuemper and what i saw from him this season there is about 200 goalies in the world at least that i would use before Kuemper. He was our 3rd best goalie and that is because we only used 3 goalies in the NHL level😂 i would take Sammy or Vanecek everyday before Kuemper i say that Rittich and few other goalies that LA signs will play better seasons for LA than Kuemper.

[@kftc1980]

@@tonijarvela9985 as a 4th liner he wouldn’t just be a waste of cap space, he would be a liability, and take the spot of a younger hungrier harder working more physical and cheaper player. The risk is less huge for LA for many reasons, most of all the length of contract. If they end up buying him out it will be shorter and cheaper than a PLD buyout.

[@tonijarvela9985]

@@kftc1980 agreed but i would say that is 1000 times more likely you get any value from PLD than Kuemper. First time i heard this trade as a rumour i hated it because this season i watched maybe 5 games from LA Kings and PLD was the worst player on the ice everytime. Only reason i can think why Kuemper got games this season after like 5 games was his cap hit because his level of play was so poor that he should have got at max 10 starts in this season with other goalies getting injured etc. As a Caps fan i like this trade because we got a player that is way more likely give value but i hate this trade because we got a bad contract for 4 more years than Kuempers contract was. Huge risk for both teams imo because if they both suck next season LA has to give even more to get away from that Kuemper contract and the price of adding PLD to getting away from that contract and moving away from Kuemper will be stupid high. Caps have lower level of risk imo still because they are doing a retool/ rebuild and likely will go more to that way after Ovie retires unless they find huge gems in the draft and get few nice UFA signings in the next 3 UFA seasons.

[@kftc1980]

@@tonijarvela9985 PLD more upside? Sure. It is also far more likely you get NEGATIVE value from PLD. I haven’t heard anything about Kuemper being a problem, other than letting goals in.

[@waltmeyer1156]

Rob Blake acquired a 34 year old sub-par goalie with a 5 mil cap hit (who he originally traded when his cap hit was 650k) for 3 players who were 1st round picks, and 2 players who were 2nd round picks.....and he did about the same thing with Cal Petersen.....

[@drewsacks]

Iafallo was an undrafted FA. Durzi was a 2nd rd pick of the Leafs.

[@MadTravis]

I KNEW when the kings acquired Dubois they would live to regret it. And they gave up a TON for him too! Hahahah way to go Rob!

[@cmdrwilkens]

So small thing with the PLD contract and I'm gonna quote 11.8 of the CBA: The SPC of any Player who is a Group 3 Unrestricted Free Agent under Article 10.1(a) may contain a no-Trade or a no-move clause. SPCs containing a no-Trade or a no-move clause may be entered into prior to the time that the Player is a Group 3 Unrestricted Free Agent so long as the SPC containing the no-Trade or no-move clause extends through and does not become effective until the time that the Player qualifies for Group 3 Unrestricted Free Agency. If the Player is Traded or claimed on Waivers prior to the no-Trade or no-move clause taking effect, the clause does not bind the acquiring Club. An acquiring Club may agree to continue to be bound by the no-Trade or no-move clause, which agreement shall be evidenced in writing to the Player, Central Registry and the NHLPA, in accordance with Exhibit 3 hereof. The Caps are NOT bound by the NMC unless they chose to abide by it. (of note there was an update to 11.8 in the 2020 MOU but that was for folks who waived an NMC and how it travels with them to the new club which was clarified after the PK Subban trade sparked that ruckus)

[@camh9800]

So, does the NMC stand for PLD and the Caps?

[@jsquared1013]

@@camh9800 he just said that the Caps are not bound to the NMC since the trade happened before the NMC takes effect

[@stephentraskos3130]

Welcome to Lawyerville.

[@rufus30001]

Capitals, to make it Full Circle (and hilarious!), sign Samsonov as goalie tandem to Lindgren.

[@butcherpete2286]

Trade a 3rd (AGAIN) to get Vanacek back lmao

[@farmrbrwn]

Honestly if the caps can get Sammy back at 1-2m that's not a bad idea. The caps aren't going to be contenders for the next couple years and Sammy will have time to mature. And Sammy has been pretty good for the caps in the past

[@mkrcivoj]

The Caps have a wealth in goaltending with Hunter Shepherd and Clay Stevenson on their AHL cup finals team. Kuemper became expendable when Lindgen took over the starter job. Kuemper has been lacklustre since they had their new child. Wish Darcy and his family well in LA. PLD will be Carbery's biggest coaching challenge.

[@dmonsef]

@@mkrcivoj Shep should be fine backing Lindgren. Caps are one of the best teams in generating NHL caliber goalies. They have gone with rookie backup goalies before(in a 6 year span going back to when Holtby was still their #1).

[@ricklatour2794]

after listening to so-called experts, here is Leafs lineup next year Stamkos- 34-16 Guetzel - 88- Rinehart Marchassault - 91 - tkuchuck 74 - 11 -75 44 - montour Zadorov - Pesce McCabe - Tanev sussi - woll 160 m payroll and they still won't get out of first round

[@stephenlucas5130]

PLD & Ovie on the back check😂

[@user-fq2jv3ds7h]

That "really bad caps team" made it just as far as the leafs.

[@goradhen]

Pierre-Luc Duboismort...As a habs fan who didn't want him, I can only laugh at this and feel bad for LA fans (value wise). Bergy is a clown. That is all.

[@dapotch]

Average goalie trumps unproductive locker room cancer everytime.

[@omfg322]

Not retaining or adding picks to get rid of pld is insane to me

[@user-ze6cv9ry6s]

Kings fan here. All last season I was torn to shreds with "a ha, you have this loser, clubhouse cancer, for the next 7 years with a horrific cap hit. Did Rob Blake make a huge gamble on Dubois and lose big? Yes. Instead of being stubborn and waiting for Dubois to play to his contract. That headache is gone and we can move on. I was not looking forward to another season of making lame excuses for PLD and being ridiculed. Kemper, lower cap hit, 3 instead pf 7 more years, hey, he won a cup, rebirth possible if not likely,

[@camh9800]

Keupmer looked absolutely cooked on the Caps, Kings have better defensive structure but I wouldn't expect much out of him, Cam Talbot is a better goalie.

[@paulthompson8793]

Avs won a cup, Kuemper was just sorta there.

[@SimRacingVeteran]

One of the last teams to win a cup and not really need stellar goaltending. That Avs team was stacked.

[@paulthompson8793]

@@SimRacingVeteran Oh for sure, kinda funny how well they play with pretty "meh" goalies in net.

[@SimRacingVeteran]

@@paulthompson8793 - they just needed someone to stand there and just be mediocre.

[@wilseph1]

Pure jokes. What the heck is WAS thinking? Darcy was bad, yes....so let's trade for PLD and his contract? Yikes.

[@insertgenericusernamehere2402]

Trying to get ovi the record any means necessary. We've also got potentially 3 centres gone. Kuzy backy and Oshie ... I could also see him getting involved in the biff that Washington has. He isn't gonna be a dick around the likes of Wilson or ovi. Doubt they'd stand for it

[@jeterisawesome]

Trade quite literally doesn't matter, do people really think that the PLD contract is going to stop the caps from winning a cup??? Bro, they're entering a long term rebuild, it quite literally doesn't matter

[@wilseph1]

@@jeterisawesome Literally.

[@kftc1980]

@@jeterisawesomeif he a player you want in the room during that rebuild?

[@Iloveswedes]

@@insertgenericusernamehere2402 Oshie is not a center, he's a wing. Kuzy is already gone, been traded to Carolina since before the trade deadline. Caps retain part of his salary, though. So, all they got left is Strome, Dowd, and whatever rookie-type or AHL players are left.

[@christopherrhorer5192]

I wonder, really really wonder, if Washington buys out PLD. Buying out kuemper would have been a big penalty. Buying out PLD now is such a small penalty given his contract.

[@ryanmussell739]

The finals can’t go to game 7. If it does. The season ends to close to July.

[@user-fj9uu2jl1n]

More like Rob Blake getting rid of Marc Bergevin mistake

[@wolfiedude121]

More like Rob Blake getting rid of his own mistake. Bergevin is senior advisor so his advice will be listened too, but ultimately it's up to Rob Blake to make the decision.

[@VompoVompatti]

The question isn't if PLD wants to play for the Caps. It's if he wants to play professional hockey at all.

[@robnotwicz7002]

Backstrom is definitely not coming back at all, and Oshie is very likely done, too. So the Caps have more space available, even with PLD, than people think.

[@XaviRonaldo0]

And Ovi and Carlson's contracts expire in 2 seasons.

[@bhbecca]

Dude, they just signed up for 7-years of a guy whose effort is sorely lacking. They will not be able to trade him and a buyout will cost them double after July 1.

[@BADink3D]

About who was playing Center with Ovechkin last year, I'm pretty sure everyone's wrong there : Ovi spent more minutes with Kuznetsov than any other Center during the season. They tried pairing him with Strome here & there, but then the 2nd line would suffer. They ended up going with Lapierre & McMichael after the trade & in the playoffs, again to get secondary scoring from Strome's line (which was arguably the 1st line)

[@mobailey6666]

can’t wait for the full pod

[@heykebo]

Congratulations Chevy! Great haul for the Jets! Blake made the best deal he could before the no trade kicked in!😂

[@chrisragona3945]

Now the Caps have 2 superstars who don’t play defence.

[@drunkreapermatt]

paccioretty and pld in the same locker room... i can see the commitment to professionalism in there

[@CBCx77-]

Patches ain’t getting resigned bruh

[@jgreenhalgh1]

The no move doesn't transfer its honored by the team that signed him no who traded for him. They tried the same with pk when they traded for weber.

[@_easymoneysniper_]

Don’t hate this for either side, Dubois has red flags but is still young enough to turn this around - that’s worth giving up Kuemper especially when you’re not focused on winning games. For the Kings, you add a goalie capable of being the starter on a cup winner while getting rid of a potential boat anchor contract at a position where you have a surplus (Kopi, Byfield, Danault)

[@bhbecca]

Turn what around? You think PLD is suddenly going to play with heart and passion? Stand up for his teammates? Fight in the corners? Skate back on defense every shift? What speech are the Caps going to give him that he hasn't already heard? The issue isn't his size or skill-- it's his head. This is his 4th team at 25. Are you kidding? Character and desire define us all. You either have it or you don't-- especially at his age.

[@lemmykilmister1239]

With all the talk that PLD was going to go to the habs, being in attendance in MTL at the draft and all, and seeing how things went... boy am I glad the Habs dodged that bullet. Jeez

[@drewsacks]

For Steve.... dude, I love seeing your sense of irony and humor outside of talking about the Leafs. Also, it was great to hear comments from all three of you guys, cause everyone was right in their own way. Adam.....kudos for the points about Bergevin. Absolutely Brutal hiring by Blake. If Blake doesn't know what he wants to do without reaching out to someone like that, there's very little hope.

[@brettbainbridge3154]

Thank you Washington. Finally the utter nonsense of "the leafs should make a play for him" can stop.

[@ZiggyPalffyLA]

Thank you. Bergevin and Luc “my best friend is PLD’s agent” Robitaille are the problems more so than Blake.

[@bhbecca]

Great trade for the Kings. Kuemper with Rattich at backup is credible and will compete. Portillo should be ready to be their starter the following season and Kuemper can be the backup. Year three they can buy Kuemper out if he's done. Washington is now on the hook for 7-years at $8.5M. Good luck with that. I watched every game PLD played this past season-- he's the Tin Man. No heart. And the wizard GM at Washington can hope and pray and rationalize that Dubois only needs more time on the power play to produce, but that's not the issue. This is hs 4th team at age 25-- for a guy with his skills and size, it tells you all you need to know. First it was his coach. Then it was playing in Winnipeg. With the Kings he wasn't placed in the right position to do well. Stop the excuses. He didn't earn time on the power play or a spot on the top two lines-- he's soft and played like he didn't give a damn. No one will ever confuse this guy as being a Tkachuk.

[@torontokid2727]

The grippers are so out of control even Adam's arms are getting in on it.

[@NotAsianButFlip]

Thats why the caps bought cap friendly cause they didnt want the league to see how bad his contract is lol…

[@XaviRonaldo0]

Congrats you're only the 7,897th person to use this joke

[@vlad2838]

No sooner do the Caps get rid of one dud in Anthony Mantha than they get a monstrously worse one in PLD…

[@kftc1980]

He was underwhelming with the VGK, but seemed to have an ok attitude and work ethic. Just a big guy who didn’t engage physically as much as you would hope he does. Doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same paragraph as PLD. I didn’t see laziness.

[@XaviRonaldo0]

Big difference. Mantha is a winger

[@LordCrota]

I'm interested to see if Ovi and PLD have any chemistry, it would be really cool to see both pop off playing along side eachother.

[@ZacharyTolson]

Here's what I'll say for Rob Blake; the fact that he's willing to admit his mistakes and fix them makes him better than a lot of other NHL GMs. Unfortunately, that says more about how awful most NHL GMs are.

[@exturkconner]

I don't even think you are betting on Kuemper being being good. I think you are bringing him in for a trail. If he's good and plays his way into staying it's a boon. If he's not good you buy him out at the end of the year and you are done with him and you move on. L.A. being able to get out from that albatross of a deal without retaining salary, without having to give up a first, without having to include a bunch of futures is absurd. Washington is taking a huge gamble that in my opinion makes literally no sense. Even if you believe you are heading into a rebuild (they should believe that) why take this on? If you window is to be bad and draft and start building. Your goal should be making noteable improvements in 5 years. This guy will still be under contract for another 3. Taking ice time from a younger talent that should be playing. I get weaponizing the cap. I get being willing to take on bad contracts when you aren't in a place to be good. 100%. But you get futures to do it. Not nothing.

[@denispicard4503]

Barry Trotz who coached the Capitals to their only Stanley cup and was not re signed, along with Kupari, Villardi and Iafallo must be laughing at the Capitals management

[@devackroyd]

I agree with not being able to trust PLD, but its wild how poorly the the top 2 goalie signings of the 2022 off season have ended up. Both Kuemper and Jack Campbell have been brutal. I think its tough to evaluate this deal until they both play hockey for their new teams. How will Kuemper respond to a new system? How will PLD respond to another change in scenery? Really tough to say.

[@kftc1980]

Trust him to be exactly what he has been so far. Expectations on the floor. Be pleasantly surprised if he sucks less and works harder. Obviously, the Caps are more optimistic than that.

[@mariovaccarella6854]

Great Video, as usual, guys. I didn't see this coming. LOL

[@CaseySaber555]

Who is going to take Dubois if he can't preform at even half his salary? No one. This is the Capitals shooting themselves in the foot.

[@judistzoinkiski3395]

Looks like Ullmark had LA and NJ on his no trade team.

[@rlosangeleskings]

Rob Blake's strategy is more slanted than the artwork in Stevie Wonder's house...

[@badm0t0rf1ng3r]

I agree with Jesse, I don't think Rob Blake is a very good GM either.

[@SuperPhalarope]

Jessie on point about kings GM

[@camh9800]

This might be one of the worst Lose-Lose trades I've ever seen.

[@davidb6899]

Maybe Ovi and Wilson can "encourage" PLD to be a team player??

[@SimRacingVeteran]

Nope. PLD will always be a premadonna bum.

[@deaner2088]

These people saying Rob Blake made a mistake by signing PLD were also the same people calling it the PLD lottery last summer

[@cm14un]

Maybe Blake likes Marner?

[@macleanclassics]

I seem to recall a game or two in the playoffs where PLD looked pretty good...... did I dream that ?

[@bhbecca]

Maybe you weren't dreaming and you just need to sober up.

[@macleanclassics]

@@bhbecca don't drink either...

[@jimmyjames7828]

As a Capitals fan, I don't care who they got for Mr.Softee as long as he is gone!! Very happy saves us from 20 more losses, what a relief!! I'm gonna go dance in heavy traffic 😁

[@jimlangdon1947]

PLD might play well with OV. Who knows? 😀 Now if Leafs can do as well getting rid of Marner’s contract - is the Leafs challenge.

[@SimRacingVeteran]

PLD is and always will be a premadonna bum.

[@vipeholmskolan6052]

I think Dubois might actually come around and do ok. But he might also just continue the bad.

[@SimRacingVeteran]

I got my money on the latter part of your comment.

[@late3619]

He just wants the free money the guy probably doesn't even want to be on the ice.

[@MartinFWhite]

Everybody mentions Villardi, but nobody mentions he was a FA. The Kings couldn't afford to pay him, especially with his injury history. So the Kings lost Iafallo and a 2nd, because Kupari was nothing. He wouldn't even have played for the Kings.

[@bhbecca]

Your right, but those assets could have been used to secure other draft picks or players... PLD is a dog. I'm just thankful he's gone. This is addition by subtraction.

[@dominickefrim3088]

Durzi was traded but his pick was included in the PLD trade so adding up Iafallo, Vilardi, Kupari, and Durzi would currently cost $10.1 million. PLD cost $8.5 mill. Kings erased all that for Kuemper at $5.25 mill for just 2 years. Plus the Kings needed a goalie.

[@baohoaily]

So you're saying the Kings understand how a calendar works better than MLSE :)

[@stephenellsworth964]

So what does this mean for the Kings' Centre depth? Are they players for Elias Lindholm now?

[@PierreLucDubois80]

This means that Quinton Byfield will likely be playing center full time now as the 2C. OR Danault stays as the 2C and room is made for Alex Turcotte or Blake Lizzotte to become the 3C.

[@user-lg1rd7jb5m]

How many team do you need to go to amd vanish (PLD) before he is sent to Daigle Island.

[@user-fj9uu2jl1n]

Kuemper to leafs for Marner 🤣🤣🤣😂😂

[@arkrazor354]

SPOT ON! You can BO a NMC contract. You do not BO a contract if the player is on LTIR. Rob Blake quiz. 1. In terms of tenure of Kings GM history (there are 9), what rank is Blake in terms of tenure? 4th. 2. How many Kings GM have no PO series wins? 2. 3. Who is the longest tenured Kings GM w/o a PO series win? Blake. (The other is Sam McMaster, who served less than 3 yrs). 4. Who is the longest tenured GM of the current NHL GM's w/o a PO series win? Blake. That was also true at the start of the 23-24 season. Blake btw is the 6th longest tenured GM in his position. 5. As of 3/22, how many GM's had fewer yrs experience- at the time of their hire- in player evaluation/front office roster decisions than Blake? 2. (Drury and Sakic). It appears now that if the Q were asked today, the answer would be 1 (Drury). Sakic's successor as McFarland was hired as a A-GM by the AVS in 2015. Looks like the other newbies all had at least 3 yrs in a combination of these roles. I understood the Kuemper trade at the time. Quick was still performing well when Kuemper was dealt to AZ. One other thing- Cap hit for PLD was $562k more than the cap hits for Vilardi/Iafallo/Kupari last year. Vilardi and Kupari are RFA for at least another 2 yrs. Durzi was only 1.7mil and is RFA for another 2 yrs as well. PLD: 16G, 24A, 40pts (9 even strength goals), -9, 2nd worst on the club. Vilardi: 22G, 14A, 36pts (in only 47 games), +11 (13th best out of 30 on the club) Rob Blake's very first pick as GM. Iafallo: 11G, 16A, 27pts, +14 (10th best) Kupari: 0G, 1A, 5pts -5 (He's a bust) That's 17 more G's, 7 more A's for less money. Oh, Durzi: 9G, 32A, 41pts, -1 (18th best out of 38 players, but highest scoring d-man for the Yotes by a mile). Yea, Blake turned a disastrous transaction into a bad one. However, he, Luc, and Bergevin all gotta go.

[@glaframb]

Everybody laugh at Marc Bergevin but he did something nobody in Toronto did in the last 57 years He went to the Stanley Cup final with a team composed of a first line of #90 Tomas Tatar #24 Philippe Danault and #11 Brendan Gallagher. Of course the habs has a better D and a much better goalie in Carey Price than anything in Toronto since 1967. Including #29 Félix "The Cat" Potvin, #31 Curtis "Cujo" Joseph

[@justinmercado6515]

Marner to LA?

[@Ronstrudell]

You’re totally right about Dubois being a bergevin guy. He definitely talked him up in decision making. Wasn’t bergevin a “consultant” in LA?

[@Jay-sj3io]

PLD trade tree please

[@XaviRonaldo0]

11:18 he had 63 points in 73 games in 22-23 for Winnipeg. Check your facts Steve. That was his best season.

[@maxymilien84]

Caps: PLD will find his next level with us. Me: Cue in Tim Robinson's "You sure about that?"

[@ML-my8qq]

There was talk during the season that the oilers and caps could have swapped Kuemper and Soup… so ya, good work Blake lol

[@jkliao6486]

This trade feels like we've just signed Kuemper to a 4 year extension while taking up 6 more years of salary retention on that Kuzy's contract.

[@dmoranaplus]

Solid move by Caps. Kemps career since the birth of his child has gone down. I think his priority has shifted. PLD will be 1C with Caps, expecting 25+ goals, 45+ assists. Carbery experiment with Mantha, Strome, and McMichael have all paid dividends. PLD will be next.

[@insertgenericusernamehere2402]

Hope you're right bud

[@ATHIP12]

LOL, last summer. There was so much hope. But so much talk about PLD's character. It's sad to see another fanbase go through the same this summer. 60% of his games are a replay of his infamous Zero Effort Shift.

[@insertgenericusernamehere2402]

@@ATHIP12 I'm not sure the caps top brass or the caps players will stand for that. You've got ovi who demands effort (look at how quickly Samsonov got dropped) and tom Wilson a future captain who is willing to step up

[@ATHIP12]

@@insertgenericusernamehere2402 Drew Doughty is vocal and competitive and doesn't stand for this stuff either. There's a huge difference between a player not meshing, and a player not trying. Unfortunately, PLD doesn't try. PLD is the only Kings player in the history of the team that I can think of that I would not want to meet and get an autograph from. I have zero respect for the guy after watching him for an entire season.

[@insertgenericusernamehere2402]

@@ATHIP12 I mean this in the nicest way possible. Tom and ovi would paste drew over the wall. I know what you mean about lack of effort. But I hope Carbery has it in him to bring him into the fold and make him feel important because that's when he'll be at his best. He managed it with mantha so 🤷

[@razvanzamfir1545]

I've been so freaking happy that Kent Hughes didn't bite on PLM last season. Since then, it looks like the gift that keeps on gifting (though to be fair, I don't know why any GM would've wanted him)

[@oldhab7890]

A good GM gets rid of his own mistakes as soon as possible. Most GM's are afraid of the reaction and just play it back again.

[@FluteWarped]

Each team is trading a headache for a stubbed toe, they're both just begging and would grovel (as in do almost anything and make any and every effort possible) just to feel a different type of excruciating pain

[@ratedRblazin420]

They traded for him so when Ovi breaks the scoring record and immediately retires they can start to rebuild and be above the cap floor with PLD's contract

[@gabrielrockman]

The Capitals really should have received a first round draft pick to make this trade work. It would make sense to make it a conditional pick in a few years depending on how Dubois does. There's a chance that the Capitals win this trade even though they didn't get any draft picks. But it's more likely that they're getting screwed. It's possible that Dubois is an upgrade over Strome at 1C and that he plays like the 1C that he's capable of being. But it's more likely that Strome continues to play like a 2C, and still outplays Dubois. I know the Capitals won't do this, but I think the best thing for Dubois is to put him on the second line with Lapierre, and make one of those two guys a winger. And put him with Ovechkin on the power play when it's safe to have two guys on the ice together who don't do well on defense. Dubois should make the Capitals' power play much better, which they really need. But 5 on 5, I don't think he's an upgrade over Strome. I would love to see what he does if they put him with Lapierre on the second line, and I could see a Dubois-Lapierre-Milano line outscoring the Ovechkin-Strome-Wilson line. It should be fun seeing Dubois and Ovechkin together on the power play. But I am worried about them on defense. The Capitals are spending a lot of money on a pair of likely 50-60 point players who are horrible on defense.

[@Ottotherepoman1]

The capitals have really made it hard for Ovechkin to score goals, PED has never been a playmaking centreman, averaging between 25 and 30 assists a year, that means a similar number of goals for Ovechkin at best. More likely Ovi scores 15 to 20 next year

[@FAFO101]

Caps have a lot of cap space and they are trying to risk it and hopefully it works out., thats all. Worst case he is bad and Caps rebuilding any way for next 5-6 years... see it this way, caps pay for PLD extra 3m next 3 years and didn't loose any prospects or picks

[@stephenphillips6245]

Can Talbot is streaky...goes on some good winning streaks, but never keeps it up.

[@brandonbock1992]

dubois is gonna get 70 points every year going further

[@glaframb]

The Los Angeles Kings announced they have acquire SDPN to make sure they had shut us for while so we can laugh anymore at they own incompetence.

[@patrickday9816]

Jeez, if this isn’t the “close the circle” moment the NHL and SDPN will love for years to come… Make Beliefs would absolutely love to grab Darcy, cause they could build the team, around Darcy and that contract. PLD is an absolute tire fire and got a cup win but have OVI. So they will break somewhat even

[@stephenphillips6245]

Marner should have been traded last July.1st..damn no trades

[@slipperynodd578]

How long do you think until he tries to force his way out of Washington if they struggle to make the playoffs. 😂

[@dmonsef]

Honestly, I see this as a win/win situation for both teams. PLD might have some issues, but CBJ's, Jets and Kings had team problems aside from PLD.

[@mikeb.2925]

Washington needs top line guys. They have too many middle 6 players. They need top line players to push everyone else down the roster. PLD is just more of what Washington already had

[@XaviRonaldo0]

Except they needed a C badly

[@mikeb.2925]

@XaviRonaldo0 Lapierre, Strome, McMichael, Dowd, Protas - all Cemters and all under contract. Also, their top prospect Ryan Leonard who won't join the team this upcoming season was a Center long before moving to RW. No, Washington didn't need Centers. They needed a top line 90+ point franchise Center and PLD is absolutely not that.

[@XaviRonaldo0]

@@mikeb.2925 Protas has been playing wing for 2 years. Lappy can easily move to the wing and Leonard projects as more of a wing in the NHL. McMichael is nowhere near 2C ready

[@mikeb.2925]

@XaviRonaldo0 Lapierre is much better suited at Center than on the wing. Yes Protas has been playing wing. I agree McMichael is better as a 3C than a 2C. The point remains that PLD is a 2C who averages less points than Strome. Washington has a log jam of middle 6 Centers and therefore didn't need another one. Now they're paying $8.5m for 7 years for a guy who scored 55pts a season, doesn't compete and isn't a good teammate. Washington needed top line players to push the guys like McMichael, Lapierre, Strome down the depth chart and back to their level instead of continuing to ask them to play above their skill. Just because you have three 2nd line Centers, doesn't mean one of them is a 1st line player.

[@Killthesefears]

Super optimistic for the Caps and Dubois

[@butcherpete2286]

I just dont get this trade for the caps. I just dont. The only possibility is that if he turns on some jets and figures it out, which i doubt. Ill try to be optimistic. But like....8x8 is TOUGH. Even without the NMC

[@collinslindsey]

8 X 8.5!!!

[@roberthudgell6084]

I get the apprehension after last season and the price tag, but PLD's stats in his two prior seasons 27g, 36a in 73gp in 22-23 28g, 32a in 81 gp in 21-22 I don't think this is the guaranteed L for the Caps that I have been hearing it is.

[@Iloveswedes]

Well, not sure how I feel about this. Kuemper was a Stanley Cup winning goalie who actually played pretty well in earlier years than more recently. I must not have been following PLD, because I didn't know he was in LA. Really, if I wasn't a Caps fan, I wouldn't understand why he was brought here. The idea, in theory, is that you get a potential first line centerman for a goalie that you apparently don't need. However, this is GMBM, and this has to blow up in his face. They have a goalie in Charlie Lindgren, and Caps used to draft goalies pretty well. Kuemper was a free agent signing a couple of years back that didn't really work out as intended. He turned into a backup, essentially. The goaltending can shake out, and it's not a big deal. They're definitely in a rebuild situation, but they actually made the playoffs. And I'm surprised to hear that LA traded away all of those folks in recent trades. Copley was a Cap years back. I have noticed Rob Blake not being that great at GM, I'm not sure why they hire certain guys for that potential.... like Bill Guerin in Minnesota, I just don't get it. Just because they played great hockey doesn't mean they'll be great in the front office. At any rate, I don't know that Pierre being on four teams as he enters his prime is 100% terrible, but he does seem like a headcase of sorts. He needs to figure out where it is he wants to be. I can understand not wanting to be in Columbus. I thought Winnipeg would've been a good enough place, given they have seemed like they're on the cusp of something good for the last 4-5 years. You don't usually get a choice in trades, in being traded or where to get traded to, but I think he wanted out of there, and the LA thing was so quick, who knows. That's a long contract for Washington. He's likely there post-Ovechkin. I don't know that you build a team around him or that he's a core player until he proves that. Heavy bet on clicking with who is there and being a first liner ahead of Strome, who was the unsung hero last season. Seemed like the rookies would get a longer look for much cheaper. Time will tell, but that's a lot of money on a not-so-sure thing. The money spent is certainly is not in question.

[@StressfulGengar]

Kevin Chevaldayoff isnt perfect but hes pretty damn good overtime and has fleeced teams waaaaay more than once

[@mariovaccarella6854]

Yeah, Jesse. I agree with you in Rob Blake not being a good GM at all, except for that trade, which he probably learned to do from Chris Drury with The Sammy Blais deal back

[@Paltmonster]

Yeah not fond of that PLD contract. I might not believe in PLD, but i trust Carbery wholeheartedly. Its a high risk high reward scenario for the caps. Getting rid of Kuemper would have cost a few draft picks and adding a young skilled player would have also cost them a lot. They were looking for a young top 6 forward and all i can hope is that this works out.