THN.com/podcast. From THN On The 'O': Shane Wright Discusses 'Crazy' Season So Far Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk1NDY2OTY2NTA3NDYzNzMx/usatsi_19778024.jpg] The day before getting traded to the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 23, 2021, was a whirlwind for Pierre-Luc Dubois. The night prior, Dubois, who requested a trade before the 2020-21 season, had his infamous last shift with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The writing was on the wall. Dubois unknowingly skipped what he thought was a routine doctor’s appointment as he got his affairs in order ahead of the anticipated move. “The team doctors were like, ‘You have to do it right away.’ And that’s when I realized, OK, this is the physical for the trade,” Dubois told The Hockey News. Dubois’ father, Eric Dubois, said his son called him incessantly that evening. “He said, ‘I think it’s happening today.’ He kept talking about different teams, but he never mentioned Winnipeg,” said Eric Dubois, an assistant coach for Winnipeg’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose. “I didn’t know Winnipeg was trying to get him.” Until a call later that night. “He said, ‘I think I’m going to Winnipeg, Dad. It looks like Winnipeg is very aggressive.’ But that’s the last phone call I took,” said Eric Dubois. “I turned off my phone because, man, I needed to sleep. We had a game the next day.” This week marked the two-year anniversary of the blockbuster deal, which saw Winnipeg trade Patrik Laine, Jack Roslovic and a third-round pick to Columbus for Dubois. For many Winnipeg fans, it stung [https://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/trade-chevy-jets-fans-weigh-on-on-laine-deal] to see Laine leave before becoming the perennial Rocket Richard winner he looked poised to become. The Finnish winger put the NHL’s smallest market on the map, with his rifle of a shot becoming commonplace on highlight reels night after night. “He’s a great player and obviously was a fan favorite in Winnipeg,” Dubois said of Laine. “But I knew what I could bring to the table.” So did the Jets. Dubois came off an excellent 2019-20 playoffs, recording 10 points in 10 games. Dubois, then 22, held Auston Matthews to just one 5-on-5 point through Columbus and Toronto’s five-game series. It’s hard to find centers with a combination of skill, speed and size like Dubois. “He’s just a force out there,” said Sam Gagner. After an up-and-down first two seasons in Winnipeg, Dubois has been playing some of the best hockey of his career this year. With 52 points in 50 games, Dubois is on pace for a career-high 85 points this season. What we’ve seen from Dubois this season reaffirmed that even with the uncertainty surrounding his long-term future in Winnipeg, Cheveldayoff made the right move acquiring him. Dubois was Winnipeg’s missing puzzle piece. They had a world-class goaltender in Connor Hellebuyck and one of the NHL’s best top-six forward groups — except for the second-line center spot. The team filled that void year after year by acquiring Kevin Hayes and Paul Stastny via trade as stop-gaps. But the Jets never found a permanent piece to put between Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry on the depth chart. Adding Dubois gave the Jets three pillars down the middle. “They each bring something different to the table,” Neal Pionk said. “‘Scheifs’ is one of the best passers in the league. ‘Duby’ is one of the bigger centers in the league. ‘Lows’ is one of the best checking centers in the league. That one-two-three punch is a good combination to have when facing off against good teams.” It took one of the Jets’ premier wingers to seal the deal. And trading a streaky scorer like Laine as opposed to one of their two consistently elite talents in Nikolaj Ehlers or Kyle Connor was shrewd work. Now, while Laine is an exceptional scorer, let’s not pretend he wasn’t a bit of a one-trick pony in Winnipeg. Sure, he improved as the years went on, but his confidence was clearly in the gutter when he wasn’t scoring. Dubois is the opposite. “For me personally, making a difference isn’t just about goals, assists and points,” Dubois said. “It’s also on the forecheck. On the backcheck. My fun on the ice is dominating. It isn’t points. It’s about making it so that no line on the other team wants to play against our line.” The Jets got a more all-around player in Dubois, one that drives play and improves those around him. “He’s got a perfect combination of kind of everything you look for in a player,” Cole Perfetti said. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk1NDY3MTE4MTczNDk2Mzcx/dubois-vs-laine.jpg] Jets coach Rick Bowness said Dubois’ biggest improvement from last season (60 points in 81 games) has been in his two-way play. “His defensive play is underestimated and overlooked,” Bowness said. “He’s putting up numbers that are on pace for a career year, and that’s great. But more importantly to our team is what he’s doing without the puck. You watch him in our zone – he’s big, he’s heavy, he (backchecks) and takes pride in that. He’s become a real 200-foot player.” But Dubois feels like he’s just getting started. “It’s funny because I think this year, I’ve taken a step up in my game, but I know there’s a whole other level I can get to,” Dubois said. “I’ve always said the player I want to become takes time. It takes a lot of patience. It takes a lot of learning. There are ups and downs. But you know, I think I’m on my way to becoming the player I want to be.” Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk1NDY2ODc2MzEzMTUxMDQ1/usatsi_17967158.jpg] The thought of Dubois getting better as the years go on will provoke anxiety among Jets fans. Nothing will change that. But the trade still holds merit, even with the prospect of him leaving. Yes, unlike Dubois, Laine is signed for the next three years. But let’s not pretend that was an option for the Jets, as his agents publicly stated [https://www.tsn.ca/insider-trading-patrik-laine-winnipeg-jets-remain-poised-to-part-ways-1.1539473] a change of scenery was needed months before the trade. Yes, Dubois could very well not re-sign, too. Granted, a star player not wanting to re-up in the prairies is nothing new. Winnipeg has always struggled to attract free agents and keep their pending UFAs from testing the open market. But there’s a hidden angle in all of this. The Jets still own Dubois’ RFA rights until the end of the 2024-25 season — the same off-season Scheifele and Hellybuck become UFAs. And as long as the latter is a Jet, Winnipeg has a chance to contend. Whether it feels like it yet or not, a sort of The Last Dance feeling is on the horizon for this core. When you have the pieces the Jets do, you’ve got to see it through, even if that means seeing a player like Dubois walk for nothing at the end of next season. No matter how the remainder of Dubois’ tenure with the team shakes out, you must tip your cap to the oft-conservative Cheveldayoff for taking a swing.
