Major: Pierre-Luc Dubois gets completely called out by his own coach
When the Los Angeles Kings acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois at a high cost, it was thought that he would quickly replace Phillip Danault as the team's second center.
Unfortunately for him, it's not going as planned. Dubois is having his worst season with 19 points, a -13 record, and limited ice time on the fourth line.
Clearly, he is not living up to his eight-year, $8.5 million per year contract. The expectations were much higher.
His head coach, Todd McLellan, has had enough and doesn't hesitate to send a message even in front of the media:
«At the end of the day whether PL gets four minutes or gets 24 minutes he has to be a difference maker. And with or without the puck we've gone through this long enough it's time.» - Todd McLellan
The coach gave him the benefit of the doubt due to the team change, but after half a season, there are no more excuses.
It's understandable. When a player with Pierre-Luc's talent doesn't meet expectations, at the very least, it's expected that he puts in a strong effort, which is not the case.
A parallel can be drawn with the Canadiens' Josh Anderson, who wasn't producing at all. The difference is that Anderson wasn't hurting the team and was giving his best effort every shift. That's what Pierre-Luc needs to do.
The good news is that he seems to have understood the message, as he was the first on the ice during the Kings' morning practice.
| POLL | ||
Do you think Pierre-Luc Dubois is a lazy player? | ||
| Yes | 519 | 89.3 % |
| No | 62 | 10.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
