Capitals Place Pierre-Luc Dubois on IR, Pausing a Frustrating Start

The Washington Capitals just placed Pierre-Luc Dubois on injured reserve, officially hitting pause on a season that was already stuck in neutral.

Dubois going on IR is the kind of update that makes you stare blankly at your fantasy hockey roster. The guy just cannot catch a break, and neither can a Washington team that is suddenly running out of healthy bodies down the middle.

"Daily Faceoff reported: 'Capitals place Pierre-Luc Dubois on injured reserve'"

Before the injury, Dubois was logging over 17 minutes a night on the second line but had zero points to show for it through three games. He was doing the dirty work defensively, but paying a premium center to just play shutdown minutes is like buying a sports car to only drive it in school zones.

It is a brutal pivot from last year. Dubois played all 82 games and racked up 66 points after coming over from the Los Angeles Kings. Going from an ironman campaign to hitting the IR before Halloween is the exact type of variance that ruins preseason betting futures.

With Dubois shelved, the Capitals are handing the keys to Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre. Asking your young depth pieces to suddenly carry the mail in the top six is a massive gamble for a team trying to stay above water in the Metropolitan Division.

Washington hosts the New Jersey Devils next. If you are looking at the puckline, you have to factor in a Capitals lineup missing a massive physical presence. We will see if the kids can keep the ship afloat, or if this IR stint sinks their early-season momentum.