The Kings surprised everyone this afternoon with a major transaction.
Pierre-Luc Dubois was traded to the Capitals and Darcy Kuemper is headed for Los Angeles.
Rob Blake (GM) spoke to the media late this afternoon about the situation, and it’s clear that he’s taking some of the blame.
In fact, Blake told reporters that it simply wasn’t the “right fit” for Dubois in Los Angeles.
He never criticized the player, and he never considered the possibility of buying out his contract…
But Blake maintains that he misjudged the situation from the outset, paying top dollar to get Dubois out of Winnipeg and then offering him a lucrative long-term contract.
Kings GM Rob Blake takes responsibility for misjudging Pierre-Luc Dubois in terms of the role he would play on the team.
“It wasn’t a good fit,” he says, without blaming the player.
He insists he never considered buying out his contract.
– Simon-Olivier Lorange (@SO_Lorange) June 19, 2024
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I have a lot of respect for the fact that Rob Blake went before reporters today and was so transparent in his comments.
He told the truth, he wasn’t afraid to take the blame for the situation and he never spat on Dubois even after what happened in the last few months in Los Angeles.
But there are two ways of looking at this.
Rob Blake made a mistake in the first place with the acquisition and contract offered to Pierre-Luc Dubois…
But on the other side of the coin, he managed to trade him before the situation got out of hand.
The Kings’ GM wanted to hit a home run that turned out to be a foul ball. He tried to improve his club, it didn’t work… And he took steps to sort out the situation somehow.
Because you have to understand that the Kings just got rid of a big ball and chain.
Dubois is under contract until the end of the 30-31 season, and the Kings’ GM had to make a decision based on the non-movement clause activated in the player’s contract on July 1.
All’s well that ends well, it seems… Especially for the Kings.
It remains to be seen whether Dubois will be able to find a way to have fun in Washington.
Overtime
– Awesome!
1 word: Wow!
552,000 people (average per minute) watched game #5 between the Oilers and Panthers last night on TVA Sports.
Nearly 100k watched Portugal’s game at the Euro.
I heard it was very/too hot outside.
– Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) June 19, 2024
– They should be really good.
Devils potential starting lineup:
Meier-J. Hughes-Bratt
L. Hughes-Hamilton
MarkstromWe’re all expecting a New Jersey bounce-back, right? pic.twitter.com/zmWwjxfO8j
– Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) June 19, 2024
– Crazy, too.
Pierre-Luc Dubois’s career at 25 years old:
– drafted 3rd overall to Columbus ahead of Matt Tkachuk, Jesse Puljujarvi
– no. 1 center for contending Blue Jackets at just 20yo – upcoming superstar
– requested trade two weeks after signing an extension in Columbus
– traded to… pic.twitter.com/21JOGzKcmM– Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) June 19, 2024
– Oh.
He’s clearly the extra guy right now. https://t.co/G6fTuNXG2r
– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) June 19, 2024