Dubois boosts Jets’ strength down the middle

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This article was published 25/01/2021 (1686 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets dominated news headlines over the weekend when they traded star winger Patrik Laine and another former first-round selection, Jack Roslovic, to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a rising star in centre Pierre-Luc Dubois and a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL draft.

Now that the initial shock of the trade has passed and the dust has started to settle, there’s work to be done. Most notably, decisions will need to be made on where exactly Dubois is best served to play in the Jets lineup.

Dubois, at the young age of 22, is already considered by hockey people around the NHL to be a bona fide No. 1 centre. The Jets already have one of those in Mark Scheifele, who plays between captain Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor on the team’s top line.

The next natural spot for Dubois would be to slide into the No. 2 hole. That’s where Paul Stastny currently resides. What’s more, the Jets traded for Stastny in the off-season to fill that role and after a seemingly slow start, the 35-year-old veteran has started to catch fire with linemates Nikolaj Ehlers and Andrew Copp.

If this all sounds like a problem, it’s not. It’s actually quite the luxury for the Jets. Strong internal competition is always a good thing, and something Winnipeg hasn’t always had since relocating from Atlanta in 2011.

“The competition in the NHL is just constant… and it has been here and it’s been a real nice environment for a lot of these young players to play in because we’ve added some young players that have developed really, really well,” head coach Paul Maurice said after the Jets’ optional practice Monday. “We went through a stretch of time where maybe there wasn’t quite as much competition. Young players came in, they got ‘A’ jobs, they got really good jobs in terms of who they played with right away. They flourished, got paid, and then all of a sudden you’re a little deeper, let’s say, up front. And now numerically becomes the way that you can dole out ice time and that competition then becomes a really strong thing for your team.”

Scheifele has always been a student of the game. For the last few years, he’s also been the undisputed No. 1 centre on the Jets, with little competition. Confident in where he stands with the team, Scheifele is looking forward to having someone as talented as Dubois push him for ice time.

“That internal competition is great for a team — for me, for him, for every single guy. It’s going to push everyone to get better and that’s what I love for my game — I want to be pushed to be the best,” Scheifele said. “One thing I’ve noticed playing against him is he is so tough playing in the corners. He’s strong, he goes to the dirty areas. He’s a guy that I’m really excited to teach and learn from and have a part of this team.”

Though Maurice isn’t looking to have an open tryout for who will play with Dubois, the one thing he has, at least for now, is time. Because Dubois is coming from the U.S., he’s required to quarantine for two weeks, making him unavailable to join the team until at least Feb. 7.

But that doesn’t mean Maurice hasn’t thought carefully about his options. He alluded Saturday to the possibility of moving Stastny to the wing, which is a move that wouldn’t be contested by the veteran.

It’s just whether Maurice would be willing to break up the line of Ehlers, Stastny and Copp — a trio that has combined for 10 points over the last two games. That said, what might be hot this week could be vastly different the next.

“This is where so many things can happen in the next week that will change your outcome, either injuries, the line gets cold, the matchup changes from the other team,” Maurice noted. “That’s where you like to move people around.”

Maurice said just having a strong centre like Dubois in the mix, especially when you already have a player like Scheifele, is enough to cause other teams fits. With Stastny, Adam Lowry, Jansen Harkins and Copp and others also there to fill in, Maurice has the relatively easy job of finding a place for them to play.

“Just think about it from the other coach’s point of view. Now you’ve got to be aware of (Dubois and Scheifele) offensively and then you’ll, possibly, because there’s always the chance that we could move out Lowry to the wing — Andrew Copp came as a centre — these are all things that are possible,” he said.

“We’ll look at this as a real benefit to our hockey team. Good players give other players opportunity to be better and I look at Pierre-Luc coming in and giving us a centre-ice man that forces other teams to be more aware and maybe you can’t keep your eyes on Mark. And for a long time here, for the last four years, every team in the league looked at Mark Scheifele and that Blake Wheeler combination with their size and speed, that’s the group they have to get to. Pierre-Luc will put that advantage squarely in our favour.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton