Pierre-Luc Dubois Requests Trade From Columbus

Blue Jackets’ fans were filled with fear the entire day surrounding their star forward Pierre-Luc Dubois. Dubois is the face of the Blue Jackets franchise, being selected third overall in the 2016 NHL Draft and now being their #1 center for years to come. However, this relationship between Dubois and the Blue Jackets has been ruined due to several factors.

On December 31, Pierre Lebrun broke the news that Dubois was not in Columbus for the start of camp and some teams believed that Dubois wanted a change of scenery. Quickly people speculated that the reason Dubois wanted out of Columbus was due to the coach of the Blue Jackets, John Tortorella. John Tortorella is known for his harsh coaching style which could frustrate players. But soon after, Dubois signed a two-year, $5 million extension with the Blue Jackets which shut down all of the speculations temporarily. 

Later on in the day, The Athletic reported that Dubois desires to be traded despite signing a contract. Dubois’ change in attitude came during contract negotiations and he now wants to leave Columbus. Going over the details of Dubois’ contract, he is getting paid $3.5 million this year and $6.5 million next year. This is an interesting detail as if Dubois is traded this season, the team that is acquiring him will only take on $3.5 million which appeals to many teams that are tight in cap space.

With the season right around the corner, will the Blue Jackets decide to keep Dubois or will Dubois be on a different team when the season starts on January 13?