L.A. move ‘like a dream come true’: Dubois

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This article was published 27/06/2023 (861 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The ink had barely dried on his shiny new contract when the US$68-million man met the media for the first time.

Pierre-Luc Dubois couldn’t contain his excitement at swapping Manitoba for Malibu when it comes to his hockey home.

“I saw an opportunity with the Los Angeles Kings that to me was like a dream come true,” Dubois told reporters on a Zoom availability on Tuesday evening.

“To be able to play with this team and get to work with some players that I looked up to as a kid. I think it’s going to be a really fun experience.”

It certainly will be good for the bank account, with the 25-year-old pulling in US $8.5 million per year over the next eight seasons after the blockbuster sign-and-trade from the Winnipeg Jets.

Dubois was asked why he wasn’t so eager to put pen to paper with the organization that, back in January 2021, shipped Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic to the Columbus Blue Jackets in order to secure his services.

“Throughout the whole process there were a lot of questions I had to ask to myself. It’s nothing about Winnipeg,” Dubois insisted.

“I spent three really great years in Winnipeg. I met unbelievable people and played with some teammates that I’ll keep in touch with for the rest of my life. I can’t thank anybody enough there. From the whole organization to the players to the fans for their support from day one.”

That’s about as much as an explanation as he offered, with Dubois insisting he’s now focused on “looking forward and not back.”

So why La-La Land, especially for a guy who many believed wanted to head to his hometown Montreal Canadiens?

“My dream is to win a Stanley Cup. I look at the organization, the players, the whole roster, the staff and everybody and I see that opportunity,” said Dubois. “That’s something that really excited me from the start when we saw that L.A. could be an option.”

Dubois admitted the off-ice life in southern California was a nice perk, too.

“It’s something where I’ve always been on the East Coast, I’ve always had the winters and the snow. To be able to be in the city of L.A. is something that excites me,” he said.

Dubois said he’s anxious to work with veteran centres Anze Kopitar and fellow Quebecer Phillip Danault in Los Angeles, which has made the playoffs for two straight years and is viewed as a team on the rise. They also have a pure sniper in Kevin Fiala, who might just find the same sort of chemistry with Dubois that Kyle Connor did in Winnipeg.

Dubois said finding more consistency in his game is a top goal, something he admits struggling with at times with the Jets.

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“I learned a lot last year, and throughout my three years in Winnipeg,” he said.

Now on his third NHL organization, Dubois said “it’s definitely a weight off the shoulders” to have some stability in his future.

“Eight years is a long time, but there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that this was a great decision. This was the right decision for me to make,” he said.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.