Report: Dubois Has Requested a Trade Out of Winnipeg

In a move that comes as no surprise to most familiar with the situation, Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois is no longer interested in signing another contract with his current club.

TSN's Pierre LeBrun is reporting that Pierre-Luc Dubois has informed his agent Pat Brisson that he has no desire to remain in Winnipeg long-term and is seeking an offseason trade out of town.

Brisson has since forwarded his client's concern to Jets management, to which he hopes general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff can scour the market for a potential suitor over the coming months. 

Having informed the team last year that he had no desire to remain in Manitoba going forward, Dubois has been operating on a 'wait and see' basis. Whether it was a new coach, a new approach, a change of teammates, new leadership, nothing seemed to provide the two-way centreman with the inkling of wanting to be in Winnipeg. 

Sure, his father Eric is the defence coach with the Manitoba Moose (who actually earned a call-up to the big leagues last season when Jets assistant Brad Lauer went down with a back injury) but even the odd family dinner isn't of much interest to the French-Canadian. 

This conundrum re-opens a can of worms for Cheveldayoff, who is now dealing with uncertainty surrounding not just one, but both of his top two centremen. With rumours also continuing to swirl around Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg may look very different down the middle as early as training camp.

This is, however, not an unusual ask of Cheveldayoff, as trade requests have almost become an annual event in Winnipeg.

In an ideal world, the 13-year Jets GM would attempt to capitalize on the trade demand by accruing a high-ranked prospect, a roster player and first round draft pick (or more) in exchange for the services of his former third overall selection.

In fact, Dubois was already dealt for a king's ransom in the deal that saw No. 2 overall pick Patrik Laine and fellow first rounder Jack Roslovic head to Columbus in January of 2021. 

This is not an ideal world, however, so the return for Dubois might not be all that fans are hoping to see. 

With the 2023 NHL Draft and free agency right around the corner, Cheveldayoff's phone will likely begin ringing soon, if not already.

Not eligible for unrestricted free agent status until the summer of 2024, it had previously been predicted that Dubois would sign another single-year, bridge-style contract for the 2023-24 season to remain in Winnipeg, in hopes that the team would move the 24-year-old at the March trade deadline. 

“You look at the NHL and there’s a bunch of guys who sign short-term deals," Dubois said in his year-end media availability. "Sure, a long-term deal would be great, to be able to look into the future a bit but yeah, I’ve done my entry-level with three, then two and then a one, so it can’t go down, it can only go up. It would be great to get a long-term deal but we’ll see what happens.”

But this accelerated plan would give Cheveldayoff some additional time to find a trading partner, and the luxury of a larger return. It has long been known that offseason trades tend to garner the largest profits, as opposed to deadline deals.

If no trade partner comes forward, and if Dubois is not willing to hash out a single-year contract, Winnipeg can decided to keep him for the 2023-24 season by taking him to salary arbitration, which will occur in mid-August. 

“The CBA gives UFAs the right to pick whatever they want," he added. "I’m not a UFA, so I don’t worry about that. But the right to choose is something that personally, it gives you power. You can make your decision and not just go where you’re told. So for me, that’s something that’s pretty important, but like I said, I haven’t put too much thought into anything behind that.”

The Ste Agathe des Monts, QUE. product put up a career-high 63 points in 73 games last season, while finishing one goal short of his 2021-22 record of 28. 

With nearly $19 million in career earnings to his name, Dubois is coming off a one-year, $6 million deal signed last offseason. 

Also in play is the option for a fellow NHL club to send an offer-sheet Dubois' way. With his salary likely to fall between the $6.4 - $8.6 million range, compensation would include a first, second and third round pick, to which only 11 clubs would currently be eligible. 

With 63 goals and 143 points in his last three years (195 games played), Dubois will likely provide his new suitor with some immediate offence and grit, while hopefully sending Winnipeg a decent severance package in terms of a hefty offseason return.