The Dubois Conundrum

It's safe to say that Los Angeles Kings general manager Rob Blake wasn't endearing himself to his team's fanbase today after defending the man to the left. Pierre-Luc Dubois, LA's $60-million man, enraged fans and the Kings' coaching staff with his lackadaisical efforts this season which resulted in a 40-point season plus a one-point postseason. The lacklustre season prompted a number of fans to call for a buyout of Dubois' inflated contract, but it seems the Kings are going to forge ahead with Dubois under their watch with the contract they gave him. Hold on for the ride, Kings fans, because this one may get bumpy before it's over in 2031.

The reason the buyout topic came up with Rob Blake addressing the media today is that the Kings could save themselves a pile of money that could be allocated elsewhere if they chose to take that option.

Because Dubois' 26th birthday is on June 24, the Kings could pay one-third of his remaining contract instead of the required two-thirds when the buyout window opens on June 15. Buying Dubois out before he turns 26 would cost the Kings a total of $15.8 million as opposed to a $31.6 million buyout after he turned 26. Clearly, the financials should be considered here, right?

"We need to make him better," Blake told the Los Angeles Times. "He's had a consistent performance over his career and deviated from that this year. So it's up to us as a staff - coaches and management - to help him become more productive to us."

It's hard to imagine any general manager dumping $8.5 million annually on a player who has never hit the 65-point mark in any season as smart spending, but it seems the Kings are going to work through their expensive growing pains as best they can when the buyout to the right would make the most financial sense moving forward. Admitting they made a mistake isn't the end of the world when the likes of Quinton Byfield, Phillip Danault, and Adrian Kempe were far more effective. Dubois' heavy salary with little production over the season and in the playoffs may have made him more of a detriment when it came to the roster's effectiveness rather than being a help. I understand that Blake thinks he may have Kopitar's eventual replacement, but that reality seems a lot farther off based on the results the Kings are getting. That's not good.

As per Hockey Royalty's examination of Blake's conversation with media today,

"Blake mentioned the need for the coaches to better incorporate him into the game. Something that should've been realized or planned before the season, not after."

This is the problem that both the Blue Jackets and Jets found out: there is no game plan for a guy who skates with the intensity like he's filming scenes for Christmas movies at the rink at Rockefeller Center. When Dubois' head isn't in the game, it's entirely noticeable that he doesn't fit into the Kings' systems at both ends of the ice. This problem rests entirely as much on Dubois as it is on the coaching staff on whom Blake pinned this, so one has to wonder if Dubois will find the means to do more in his given role with the Kings.

"If play like I can play, we're not having these questions right now," Dubois told the media today. "I take the blame. I take responsibility. It's on me. I'm committed to having a better season. I'll do anything to be better."

As we know, actions speak louder than words, and it seems that the Kings are going to pin $15 million worth of buyout savings on a promise of "I'll do anything to be better". If there's no improvement from Dubois next season in terms of effort or production, that's a heavy price to pay to watch someone pleasure-skate his way through another 82 games. Does it cost Blake his job if Dubois doesn't improve? The answer isn't easy, but that may be the eventual result.

For a guy skated as the most expensive fourth-line centerman this season in the NHL, the Los Angeles Kings appear to be sticking with their hopes that Dubois can be a game-changing player like both Columbus and Winnipeg thought he'd be. While the potential may be there, reality suggests otherwise, and I can give you 15 million reasons why the Kings might be better off buying him out than waiting for him to realize that potential.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!