"Feels Like You're On Vacation": Pierre-Luc Dubois Opens Up On Trade To Kings

In one of the biggest blockbuster trades of the offseason, Pierre-Luc Dubois was sent from the Winnipeg Jets to the Los Angeles Kings. To say he's happy with the move would be an extreme understatement. In a wide-ranging interview with Daily Faceoff, Dubois has opened up about his feelings on his new surroundings.

Matt Larkin reports that the former No. 3 overall NHL Draft pick says his new work/life balance in LA is surreal.

It feels like…it’s easy. When you’re away from the rink, you’re in the sun, you’re doing things, you can go to the beach. You can really go out there and enjoy life. So when you go to the rink, it’s easy to put your work boots on and concentrate fully on hockey and concentrate on being the best player you can be for your team. Because when you’re away from the rink, you get to do basically whatever you want. It feels at times like we’re on vacation away from the rink. It doesn’t feel real.

But Winnipeg fans, don't take offence, Dubois says things were pretty good for him there as well, especially from a family sense: his Dad, Eric, was an assistant coach with the Jets’ AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose: 

"My parents are there, and I (got) to see my Dad when he (was) at home. Our schedules were kind of conflicting, so when I’d be at home he’d be on the road. But he’d come to every game he could come to. My mom would stop by. We lived 10 minutes apart from each other. I’d go see Moose games whenever I could. Honestly, it was almost a dream come true in that sense.”

As for his new life, bouncing from the beach to the rink, Dubois will have plenty of time to enjoy it going forward, after signing an 8-year, $64M deal with the Kings earlier this summer. 

Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports