Pierre-Luc Dubois could be bought out but only if the Cup is won early
When the Los Angeles Kings acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets, it was supposed to be the start of something special. The Kings immediately signed Dubois to an 8-year max term deal paying him $8,500,000 per season. Unfortunately the elation from the trade quickly turned to dismay as his season quickly got off the rails.
In 82 games, Dubois put up the worst season of his professional career. This season he scored just 16 goals and added 24 assists, for just 40 points. Probably even more concerning was the compete level, or lack thereof for Dubois on important nights. During the playoffs Dubois was once again a non-factor scoring 1 goal in 5 games.
Rumors have already begun to swirl that Dubois could become one of the biggest buyouts in NHL history, just one year into his deal. While many people probably wonder, why would the LA Kings do that? Well, due to Dubois' age he is eligible for the rare 1/3 buyout rate which would cost them significantly less per season according to Cap Friendly .
The only problem for the Kings? All of this changes if the Stanley Cup isn't handed out 48 hours before Dubois' birthday on June 24th.
He turns 26 on June 24
The buyout is 1/3 if the player is under 26 at time of buyout.
Buyouts can start LATER of:
-June 15
-48 hours after cup final
Cup final could be up to June 24 this year.
So is it a 1/3 or 2/3 buyout?
If the cup is awarded June 23, they cannot buy him out until after he turns 26, meaning 2/3 buyout.
If cup is awarded before June 22, they could potentially buy him out before he turns 26, making it a 1/3 buyout.
This NHL's buyout window does not begin until 48 hours after the season concludes which could make this entire situation tricky for the Kings. Only time will tell which route they choose to go. Will they allow Dubois another season or is the risk not worth the reward?
| POLL | ||
Will Pierre-Luc Dubois be bought out? | ||
| No he won't | 190 | 29.8 % |
| Yes he will | 296 | 46.4 % |
| Only if it's at 1/3 | 152 | 23.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
