The Winnipeg Jets were front and center on Saturday as much of the team spoke with the media about the disappointing end to their season, what the future held, and how they felt about their head coach who put them on blast after losing an ugly Game 5 to them. Vegas Golden Knights. One of the players to speak was Pierre-Luc Dubois and he is among the more interesting names to watch as rumors swirl that he is likely on his way out of Winnipeg.
He indicated that he did not think much about his future and did not speak to his agent about his options. When asked about speculation that he’s “as good as he goes,” DuBois knows there’s a lot of fake news out there, but he hasn’t made up his mind yet. “Our season just ended two days ago and people have been speculating all year… I can’t control that.”
He noted that he never considered looking far into the future and that his mind was always on one game at a time.
While the Jets players have talked about the issues between the team and head coach Rick Bowness, speculation will only swirl that Dubois likely won’t want to be a part of this mess. If he was indeed looking forward to leaving and joining the Canadiens, the team being in shambles would only serve to drive him further out the door.
Is there still an open door to trade with Canadians?
Trading with Canadians is not as simple as it may seem. Jeff Marek noted that his sources indicate there are more teams than just the Habs who would show interest in Dubois if the Jets felt it was best to move on. Yes, the Canadians are still on that list, but the rumor that Montreal might be willing to send Kirby Dash on a one-man deal isn’t as simple as it sounds. Friedman noted during his last 32 on his Thoughts 32 podcast, “People have said to me it’s simple, you replace Dubois with Montreal and you order Dutch. I think if it were that simple it would already be done, so I don’t think it’s that simple.”
Mark Dumont From Montreal Hockey Now He also added that the Canadiens may not feel the need to part with such a large return, even if other teams show interest. He believes the Canadians feel the Jets don’t have much leverage given Dubois is a restricted free agent this summer and one year away from UFA status. And because Dubois wants to go to Montreal and other teams showing interest may only be able to sign him to a one-year deal, eventually the Habs will get their man.
There is really no need for Montreal to trade for Dubois if they are asked to give up too much in the deal.
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