Grading the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade: Kings are envy of the league up the middle, Jets are in denial

For the third consecutive offseason, the Los Angeles Kings have levelled up with a major acquisition at forward. Two years ago, they traded for Viktor Arvidsson and signed Phillip Danault. Last year, they traded for Kevin Fiala. This time around, GM Rob Blake swung a blockbuster trade with the Winnipeg Jets to bring center Pierre-Luc Dubois to Tinseltown. Dubois, 25, inked an eight-year extension at an $8.5 million AAV for a sign-and-trade.

For the Kings, it’s an interesting move. L.A. already has two of the best 200-foot centers in captain Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault. So Dubois’ usage is already curious. Does he bump Danault down to the third line? And what about Quinton Byfield, the No. 2 overall pick from the 2020 draft who’s just starting to hit his stride at the NHL level?

To me, Los Angeles wants a Vegas Golden Knights model of centers upon centers. William Karlsson – a second line center for most NHL teams – was centering the third unit for Vegas en route to their 2023 Stanley Cup championship. I think Danault slots into that role for the Kings, while Dubois goes into the No. 2 slot behind Kopitar. And if anything goes sideways, Byfield is ready to go down the middle.

I think Vilardi was a source of frustration for the Kings despite posting a career-best 41 points last season. And Kupari is a serviceable depth player. But both are pending RFAs, and with cap space at a premium, it made them expendable.

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