The Washington Capitals could not make the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. Tom Wilson and his teammates were in the race for much of the season. However, they came up short in the end. This season, Wilson believes his team can win. And he sees one teammate as being particularly valuable this coming campaign.

The Capitals traded for Pierre-Luc Dubois two years ago. Dubois had a troubling tenure with the Los Angeles Kings in 2023-24, but had a good season in 2024-25. He struggled with an injury in 2025-26. But Wilson sees Dubois's determination to make an impact in 2026-27.

“I think he looks phenomenal,” Wilson said, via NHL.com. “He had an injury last year that affected his game. Right now, he's probably the fittest. He was the best skating player on our team on the ice (Thursday), at least it looked like. So, I know he's hungry. He wants to make some noise this year.”

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Dubois played just 29 games for the Capitals in 2025-26. He scored five goals and 19 points in that time. This season, he is looking to hit the ground running. He feels good entering the new season, as well.

“Going into this camp, I was just excited to get back out here and practice with everybody again. I'm excited to play. I feel like I haven't played much. So, just kind of like my two years ago when I came here and I wanted to do well to get back into it, I kind of feel the same way right now,” Dubois said.

The Capitals begin their 2026-27 campaign on October 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes.