*Photo from TheScore*
Sign and trades can be fun to work out. The Los Angeles Kings have acquired C Pierre-Luc Dubois in a sign and trade with the Winnipeg Jets. Centers Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, and Rasmus Kupari are going to Winnipeg along with a second round pick in 2024. The deal has been confirmed by both teams.
Dubois said of going to the Kings that "First, my dream is to win the Stanley Cup, and I look at the organization, I look at the players, the whole roster, the staff and everybody, and I see that opportunity. And that's something that really, really excited me from the start when we saw that LA could be an option. We're hockey players. Our job is to play and to compete on the ice and win hockey games, but you also go home. You also have time away from the rink, and the city of LA , I've always been on the East Coast, I've always had the winters and I've always had the snow, but to be able to be in the city of LA is also something that really excites me. Eight years is a long time, but there's absolutely no doubt in my mind this is a great decision. This is the right decision for me to make."
Just before the trade, Dubois signed an 8 year, $68 million contract that carries an AAV of $8.5 million. He has a full no movement clause that takes effect in 2024-2025 and goes for 4 seasons. He has a modified no trade clause for the final 3 seasons in the form of a 10 team no trade list.
Prior to last season, Dubois informed the Jets that he would be testing free agency come the end of 2023-2024. He informed the Jets at the end of this season he would not be interested in signing an extension, and now he gets a sign and trade to the Kings to get the maximum 8 year contract.
Los Angeles GM Rob Blake said of getting Dubois that "Pierre-Luc Dubois is an elite two-way center with a unique skill set, and we're excited to have him join the organization and commit to us long term. Over the last few seasons, he has proven the ability to contribute to all facets of the game, and we are thrilled to be able to add a player of this caliber into our lineup."
Last season, Dubois set a career high in points for the Jets, who made the playoffs. Dubois scored 27 goals and contributed 36 assists, giving him 63 points. He averaged 18:27 of ice time per game in 73 regular season games. He had two goals and two assists in 5 playoff games.
Dubois, a former first round pick, has played for the Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets in 6 seasons. In that time, he has 129 goals and 173 assists, posting a +13 rating with an average ice time of 17:37 in 434 regular season. Dubois has 10 goals and 16 assists to go with a -9 rating in 38 career playoff games over 5 seasons.
One piece coming back to the Jets is Vilardi, who is a pending RFA with arbitration rights. He had a breakout campaign with the Kings last season and had 6 game winning goals, tied with Adrian Kempe for the team lead.
Last season was Vilardi's 4th in the league, all with the Kings. He scored a career high 23 goals with a career high 18 assists for 41 points, averaging 15:36 of ice time and recording a +10 rating in 63 games of action. He scored two goals and contributed two assists in 5 playoff games.
The 29 year old Iafallo is another piece going to the Jets. He is entering the 3rd year of a 4 year, $16 million contract signed with the Kings prior to 2021-2022. The deal carries a $4 million salary annually, with Iafallo set to become a UFA at the end of the contract.
Iafallo was one point shy of tying his point output from 2021-2022 last season. He scored 14 goals and contributed 22 assists, posting a +14 rating with 16:36 average ice time in 59 regular season games. Iafallo had 3 goals and one assist in 6 playoff games for the Kings, who were eliminated in the first round by the Edmonton Oilers.
Chosen in the first round of the 2018 draft by the Kings, Kupari is also a pending RFA like Vilardi. Last season, Kupari had 3 goals and 12 assists, averaging 10:06 on the ice in 66 games, his 3rd season in the NHL.
Los Angeles president Luc Robitaille said of trading Vilardi, Iafallo, and Kupari that "On behalf of the entire LA Kings organization, we would like to thank Alex, Rasmus and Gabriel for their immense contributions both on and off the ice. Their efforts over the last few seasons on the ice, as well as with fans and throughout the community, have made a substantial mark on our franchise, and we wish them all continued success in their future.
As a result of the trade, the Jets have just under $9 million in cap space, while the Kings have around $4.5 million with free agency set to open on Saturday.
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