Speculation he wants to depart from Jets “overblown,” says Dubois

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This article was published 25/07/2022 (1229 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Pierre-Luc Dubois claims reports of a fractured relationship with the Winnipeg Jets have been greatly exaggerated. And the 24-year-old power forward, fresh off signing a one-year contract extension with the club, says he’s only focused on the present amid speculation and rumours about his future.

“You hear about things I apparently said or I apparently did. A lot of it is frustrating,” Dubois said Monday morning during a 40-minute Zoom availability. “If I wanted out of Winnipeg I would have asked for a trade. I didn’t ask for a trade.”

Dubois can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2024 and reportedly has told the Jets he doesn’t want to ink a long-term extension, at least not right now. His agent, Pat Brisson, then poured fuel on the fire earlier this month when he said the Quebec product would love to one day play for the Montreal Canadiens.

“I think people took a little thing and blew it up times 20,” he said, noting many hockey players think about one day skating for their hometown team. “Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. That’s life.”

The Athletic reported earlier this month that Dubois went to the NHL Draft in Montreal expecting he was going to be shipped to the Habs. Not true, he says.

“I went to the draft because I live 15 minutes from the arena. I’m a fan of hockey. My bank invited me, they had a box with food and dinner. It was Thursday night, an entertaining night,” said Dubois, whose father, Eric, is an assistant coach with the Manitoba Moose.

“I spent half the night with my dad, and he spent half the night with the organization. If I was invited to go with the Jets, I would have gone with them. You hear stuff that I want out of Winnipeg. If I wanted out I would have asked for a trade. I didn’t ask for a trade. Not for one second. It didn’t cross my mind for one second to ask for a trade. Nowadays with social media it goes so fast. Articles come out every second, and some of them are 99 per cent wrong. You still read it and still wonder if it’s true. There’s been a lot of speculation. So now I’m finally happy you get to hear it from me, from the source. The man himself.”

By signing just the one-year deal last Friday that will pay him US$6 million, Dubois and the Jets have essentially bought themselves a bit more time. It closed off the possibility of an offer sheet from another organization and ensures the drama doesn’t drag out through training camp in September.

Dubois will once again be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer. The question is, will he still be with the organization by then? The Jets will want to ensure they don’t ultimately lose a valuable asset for nothing and maximize any potential return.

“After this contract is up, then we’ll deal with it,” said Dubois, who described himself as someone who “doesn’t even know what I’m eating for dinner tonight” let alone doing down the road.

Dubois insisted his commitment issues have nothing to do with the state of the organization, which is coming off a frustrating season in which coach Paul Maurice quit and the squad missed the playoffs by a significant margin. Rather, it’s about carefully weighing the options and keeping doors open.

He said the Jets have treated him well since acquiring him in January 2020 in exchange for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic, remaining confident in his abilities despite a miserable first year in Winnipeg. And he predicted better days are ahead under new coach Rick Bowness, who he had a phone chat with over the weekend.

“I think its going to be a big year for us,” said Dubois, who had 60 points (28 goals, 32 assists) in 81 games last year. “Sometimes, with a chip on your shoulder it can give you that extra motivation.”

He called last year a “slap in the face…a wake-up call” for himself and his teammates.

“We’ll start at training camp and go from there.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg