Dubois excited for opportunity to 'fully be me' with Kings

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Pierre-Luc Dubois said he is looking forward to the opportunity to fully be himself with the Los Angeles Kings.

The 25-year-old forward was acquired by the Kings in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets on June 27 for forwards Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, and Rasmus Kupari, and a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. He then signed an eight-year, $68 million contract ($8.5 million average annual value) with Los Angeles that same day.

"Honestly, I think it's just an opportunity for me to be who I am," Dubois said Monday. "I think I'm misunderstood at times, but I think a lot of people don't really know me. And that's fine. Sometimes in this world it's hard to get to know guys. … Now it'll be a fun opportunity for me to just be who I am. Not show anybody, not prove to anybody, but just fully be me."

That feeling of being misunderstood is something Dubois thinks stems from his previous two NHL teams.

Selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the No. 3 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Dubois played his first three full seasons in Columbus before he told the team he no longer wanted to play with them, resulting in a trade to the Jets for forwards Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic on Jan. 23, 2021. Two days prior to the trade, Dubois had been benched by then Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella.

Then in Winnipeg, Dubois helped the Jets qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice, including setting career highs in assists (36) and points (63) in 73 games last season, but he again asked management for a trade.

"I think, obviously, with demanding a trade out of Columbus, and then the situation with Winnipeg … everybody looks at those decisions, and some people agree, some people disagree. Some people think this, some people think that," Dubois said. "I mean, everybody's entitled to their own opinion, but at the end of the day, it's my life. I have to do what I think is right.

"I had three unbelievable years in Columbus, three great years in Winnipeg, where with both of those organizations I learned a lot and met some unbelievable people. But I felt I was ready to move on and do a new chapter in my career and in my life. And now I'm here in L.A."

Since he has arrived in Los Angeles, Dubois has put an emphasis on getting to know the city. That has included attending Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Galaxy games, eating at celebrity hotspot Nobu in Malibu, and looking for a place to live.

All of that, along with meeting Kings coach Todd McLellan last week, has Dubois more than excited for the upcoming season.

"It's been a great experience to be here in a hockey environment at times but also discovering the city in a non-hockey way," Dubois said. "That's been fantastic and I've had a really good time.

"To be in a city like this where you drive 30 minutes and it feels like you're completely in a different area … a different experience everywhere. … I mean, I still haven't wrapped my head around this whole thing yet, but I'm extremely happy."