Oct 28, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Pierre-Luc Dubois (80) skates against the Dallas Stars during the game between the Stars and the Capitals at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Capitals Forward Undergoes Surgery, Injury Timeline Revealed

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Nov 9, 2025 11:33 AM ET

The Washington Capitals will be without one of their top offensive players for a large portion of their regular season following a recent injury. Top-six center Pierre-Luc Dubois sustained a severe abdominal and adductor muscle injury that required surgery.

The Capitals announced that Dubois underwent successful surgery to correct the injuries to his core and thigh muscles. The organization also announced that the timeline for his recovery will take three to four months.

What This Means for Capitals Lineup

Dubois became an integral piece of the Capitals’ lineup immediately after they acquired him from the Los Angeles Kings in a trade before the 2024-2025 campaign. Playing in his first year in Washington last season, he appeared in 82 regular season games. He recorded 20 goals and 46 assists for 66 points while also working as their top defensive centerman.

The Capitals now have a hole in their top-six forward group and are without their top two-way center. Dylan Strome continues occupying the center spot alongside captain Alex Ovechkin but how they configure the rest of that first and second-line is a mystery. Tom Wilson and Anthony Beauvillier have both seen time on the right wing with Ovi and Strome, but with Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael and Ryan Leonard, they have plenty of options.

Expect McMichael to get the first crack as the second-line center for the long-term. The 24-year-old had a breakout campaign last season, but he’s struggled so far in 2025-2026. In 15 games, he has just one goal and three assists for four points.

if he can’t step up, the team could give fellow youngsters like Justin Sourdif or Hendrix Lapierre in an elevated role before turning to the trade market for reinforcements.

Hopefully Not Season-Ending

The Capitals are hopeful that this injury is not season-ending for Dubois. After he left the team’s recent game against the New York Islanders, their head coach provided a slightly optimistic update. While they expected him to be out for a significant portion of time, Spencer Carbery told the media that they believed it was not a season-ending injury.

“No, we do not think it's going to be season-ending,” he said. “Just an extended period of time at this point.”

Without their top center, the Capitals will have to overcome a sizeable hurdle. The Eastern Conference is loaded, and the 7-7-1 Capitals are stuck in the middle of the mix, trying to separate from the pack. That challenge just became infinitely more difficult with Pierre-Luc Dubois out of the lineup.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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