The Blues have reached an agreement to bring free agent forward Dillon Dubé into the organization on a contract with AHL Springfield, per Frank Seravalli of Victory+.
Dubé, 27, was eligible to sign an NHL contract at the beginning of this month after serving a suspension related to the allegations that spurned charges of sexual assault against him and four other players who were members of Canada’s national junior team in 2018. All five players were acquitted of those charges in July. Of those five, only Carter Hart has returned to the NHL after their suspensions were lifted on Dec. 1.
Dubé made his NHL debut with the Flames in 2018-19 after they made him a second-round pick in the 2016 draft. He spent a few seasons in a bottom-six/press box role before working his way into a top-nine job coming out of the pandemic. His development culminated with a breakout 2022-23 season. While the Flames fell out of the playoff picture that year, despite finishing with 111 points the season prior, Dubé suddenly became one of their most important secondary scorers. Averaging north of 15 minutes per game and routinely seeing top-line minutes with now ex-Flames Elias Lindholm and Tyler Toffoli, he tied his career-high 18 goals and added 27 assists for 45 points.
When the Flames replaced Darryl Sutter with Ryan Huska behind the bench for the 2023-24 season, Dubé fell off the map. His ice time dropped to 11:10 per contest, and he was limited to just three goals and seven points in 43 games. His season ended in January when the charges against him were announced.
Dubé was non-tendered by Calgary at the end of the season, making him an unrestricted free agent. While awaiting trial, he spent the 2024-25 season overseas, signing with Belarus’ Dinamo Minsk in the Kontinental Hockey League. The 5’11” winger struggled to make an impact, slipping to a fourth-line role by year’s end and notching just four goals and 11 points in 42 games. He ended the season without a point in his final 11 regular-season and playoff games.
Understandably, KHL and NHL interest was tempered after he was acquitted of his charges based on those numbers. He technically remains a UFA because he’s not signing an NHL agreement with the Blues. Whether it’s a guaranteed contract with Springfield or just a tryout remains to be seen. Regardless, it will be an incredibly long road for him to prove he can get his play back to an NHL level. Considering his offensive production was his greatest asset, he’s not a good fit down the lineup and will need to put up big numbers in order to move up the depth chart.