Fans will likely not be shocked to hear that Pierre-Luc Dubois, the talented forward for the Winnipeg Jets, has officially requested a trade and made it clear that he will not re-sign with the team during this season. DuBois’ agent, Pat Bryson, is reported to have told Gates that his client is not inclined to sign any contract extensions, including a one-year bridge deal, and would rather explore a deal with another team.
According to a report by Pierre Lebrun at The Athletic, then reiterated during a TSN Insider Trading segment on Wednesday, while the Jets retain collective bargaining agreement rights to control Dubois for another year before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, the possibility of a trade appears to be on the table. General Manager Kevin Sheffieldive is considering his options and may explore trading DuBois either during this season or at the next season’s trade deadline.
However, the Jets are not willing to part with Dubois at a discount. Interested teams will need to make convincing offers to convince Winnipeg to complete the trade. The question remains: How far is Dubois willing to go to secure the trade? Will he go so far as to sit out part of the season to put more pressure on the Jets?
Canadians are interested, but only up to a point
Indeed, as reported by LeBrun, Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has reached out to the Jets to express interest in Dubois. However, the Canadiens, like other potential suitors, are wary about giving up significant assets in a trade, reasoning that Dubois could become an unrestricted free agent within a year, allowing any team to sign him without giving up any assets. Knowing that he was inclined to sign with them made it less likely that they would pay a king’s ransom to obtain him.
The situation surrounding Pierre-Luc Dubois has been front and center in Winnipeg for over a year now, and with speculation the Jets could look very different next season than they did this season, Dubois is the first to suggest he shouldn’t be out. be a surprise to anyone.
Will other dominoes fall if and when Dubois is dealt? Will the planes try to hold the leverage for as long as possible?
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