Pierre-Luc Dubois injury update

It is exactly the kind of message the room needed after Dubois left late in the 1-0 win at Madison Square Garden on 12 October 2025. The timing matters with a busy opening stretch and a power play still searching for rhythm.

Carbery has leaned on Dubois in the top six and on the first power play to start 2025-26, so «not long term» lands like a deep breath for everyone who watched him limp off. The staff's confidence in his two-way game has been a theme since last season's surge.

If you follow this team closely, you saw how Dubois's arrival changed the spine down the middle last year, and how it has bled into this fall. He is wearing 80 in Washington and centering heavy minutes, often with Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas, a trio that has owned the puck when healthy.

There is also a human layer here. Dubois has talked about how communication with Carbery unlocked his game, and the coach has publicly compared his defensive ceiling to some elite company. That is not cheap praise, and it explains why the staff is careful yet upbeat today.

Short term does not mean careless, of course. Expect the team to keep him day to day and test how he feels at the next skate. Early numbers this season are modest, with zero points through three games before the Ranger finish, but context matters when a player's usage is this demanding.

From a lineup view, Connor McMichael's versatility gives Carbery cover if Dubois needs another night, and we saw McMichael handle extra responsibility already. That flexibility helps the coaching staff avoid panic moves, especially with special teams still in workshop mode.

My read tonight is simple and maybe a little sentimental. Dubois has earned the benefit of the doubt in Washington. He rebuilt his game here with purpose, and the bench trusts his habits. If tomorrow's skate goes as the coach hopes, this little October speed bump will fade fast.