With the exceptional situation in which the National Hockey League resumed its activities, transactions between teams were going to be more difficult for the general managers to achieve. Without forgetting the Canadian division which adds an additional coefficient of difficulty to organizations.
However, two elite players barely 22 years old have changed addresses, as Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic took charge of Columbus in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois and a third-round pick. The Jets Winnipeg players now have to wait until the star forward is out of quarantine before seeing him join the squad.
Pierre-Luc Dubois is finishing his first week in isolation in Winnipeg, his new adopted city. When the exchange became official in the morning of January 23, Dubois quickly went to Manitoba. He, like the team, is hoping he’s in uniform sooner rather than later.
Waiting
For the moment, the days of Pierre-Luc Dubois are unique, he who is used to the daily rhythm of a player of the LNH.
It’s pretty relaxed for me, I wake up, I have to go to the arena to be tested every morning. After that my day is pretty much over! I have two dogs, at least I’m not completely alone! I’m training, they brought me gear here, I’m doing the best I can
, underlines the attacker.
The staff of Jets However, tries to bet on this quarantine to be able to ensure that Dubois will integrate the team as quickly as possible. I do video every day with one of the coaches. I’m learning the system, I have a lot of time to waste right now, it’s perfect, it’s the best time to learn
, he adds.
In known terrain
Since 2016, his father, Éric Dubois, occupies the post of assistant coach to Pascal Vincent with the Moose of Manitoba, the school club of Jets. Moreover, his father wore the colors of Moose in the International Hockey League during the 1996-97 season. He and his wife couldn’t be happier when they learned of the transaction.
Éric Dubois, assistant coach of the Manitoba Moose
Photo : Moose du Manitoba
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As soon as I knew I was going to Winnipeg, I called my parents. My mother was very happy, my father too, he had to calm my mother who wanted to come and see me when I arrived, but we couldn’t because of the pandemic. It will be great fun to be able to play here in Winnipeg, live close to my parents
, says Pierre-Luc Dubois.
This is the first time since the age of 14 that the young striker will live in the same city as his parents. It’s a safe bet that the family will have something to celebrate at the end of this quarantine.
A native of Saint-Agathe-des-Monts, Pierre-Luc Dubois said he was enthusiastic about being able to play in a Canadian market, knowing how important hockey is to fans.
Since the team came back, it’s amazing to see the passion the fans have! The small arena gives the impression that the stands are on the ice, that everyone is on your back, it’s really fun during the day in an environment like that
, he emphasizes.
He also says he is excited to join the Canadian division, which is full of offensive talent. I think in the Canadian division you are in a situation where every night you play against very good teams with very good players. For a competitor like me, it’s very exciting.
During his first professional season, at the age of 19, Pierre-Luc Dubois had the chance to live with David Savard, a fellow Quebecer who plays as a defender with the Blue Jackets of Columbus. Nevertheless, the possibilities of speaking French were rare in the organization
David Savard des Blue Jackets de Columbus.
Photo : Getty Images / Maddie Meyer
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I’m going to find out a lot more about the Francophone community here, it’s always nice to be able to speak in French. In Columbus, there were only a few players, here there is a community, my parents too. It is always a pride to be able to represent Quebec and the French language
, he said.
Join a competitive team
With his father in the entourage of the team, Dubois did not need to be convinced that he was joining a professional organization in which he would be well surrounded. My dad always told me that it’s an organization that treats its players and staff very well. My parents love the city, I spent part of my summer there.
Isolated in Winnipeg since his arrival, he has been able to watch the team’s games, including the home and away series against the Oilers from Edmonton. He said he was amazed at the depth of the training.
Several players who are currently part of the Jets have been developed by the organization. Mark Scheifele is a first-round pick in 2011, same for Josh Morrissey in 2013, Nikolaj Ehlers in 2014 and Kyle Connor in 2015.
Mark Scheifele
Photo: The Canadian Press / John Woods
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Connor Hellebuyck, Andrew Copp, Adam Lowry, Mason Appleton, Jansen Harkins and Ville Heinola, who currently play for the team, have all been drafted by the organization.
The players that this organization has developed in the past are players who have become stars of the national league. Being able to learn from a coaching staff like that, but also being able to learn from players like Scheifele, Wheeler, Connor or Ehlers, it’s going to be very good for my learning
, he mentions.
Of the lot, he remembers having faced Nikolaj Ehlers, when Dubois was playing his first season in the LHJMQ, in 2014-15, with the Screaming Eagles from Cape Breton. In fact, Ehlers finished third in the league that year.
Nikolaj Ehlers
Photo : Getty Images / Kirk Irwin
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I played against him for a year, he was in Halifax, I was in Cape Breton. Probably one of the best junior players I have faced. Incredible skate, incredible hands, good vision, able to pass the puck, able to shoot. He’s a very dangerous player
, he recalls.
A difficult divorce
The last weeks of Pierre-Luc Dubois have been very eventful. Rumors circulated quickly to the four corners of the Bettman circuit that he had asked for a transaction and even the signing of his contract, worth $ 10 million for two years, could not silence them.
He also wanted to meet his teammates in Columbus at the start of the season to clarify the situation with them. The team had already gone through a similar ordeal in 2019, when forward Artemi Panarin and goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky, who would become an unrestricted free agent, met with the players to explain.
It wasn’t an easy time, it was very emotional. They are my teammates, but above all they are my friends. This is something I had to do. I knew in the media I wasn’t necessarily going to say everything, but to them I wanted to let them know that if they had any questions I was there to answer them
, says Pierre-Luc Dubois.
His relationship with his head coach, John Tortorella, known for his hot temper, suddenly turned sour, culminating on January 21, when the Blue Jackets of Columbus faced the Lightning from Tampa Bay.
While on the ice in the first period, the striker shows no competitiveness, which is one of his trademarks. John Tortorella had seen enough, nailing his first cross to the bench for the remainder of the game. The Blue Jackets packed up in overtime, defeated 3 to 2.
John Tortorella (at the back) only used Pierre-Luc Dubois (on the left) for 3.55 minutes of play against the Lightning.
Photo: The Canadian Press / DARRYL DYCK
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If this is a thing of the past for Pierre-Luc Dubois, he knows he will have to prove himself to his new teammates and supporters of the Jets. He thinks he can do it.
There are a lot of people who don’t know me. Neither the person nor the player that I am. I know what kind of player I am, I know what I can bring to the team. I am a guy who is very competitive and who above all likes to win
, he assures.
There is only one week left in his forties and Pierre-Luc Dubois could not be more elated to join his new team on the ice. After a stormy start to 2021, he is eager to regain his ease within the Jets from Winnipeg.
I still have a lot to learn and I think this is the best place for me.
–
