Although he will be a member of the Winnipeg Jets for at least the 2022-2023 season, it was not Pierre-Luc Dubois' expectations for the next campaign that were the focus during his point of view. press, Monday, but the rumors linking him to the Montreal Canadiens which flared up from all sides during the off-season.
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The first speculations about an arrival in La Belle Province, with the Canadian, surfaced when the Quebecer showed up at the Bell Center for the draft. According to rumors at the time, Dubois expected to be compromised during the session, he who would have asked for a trade.
"I was in the repechage because it's 15 minutes from my house and I'm a hockey fan," he however corrected during his conference.
“I have heard things that I would have said or done and it is very frustrating. If I wanted to leave Winnipeg, I would have asked for a trade. I didn't ask to be traded."
His agent, Pat Brisson, did nothing to calm things down a few days after the draft, saying his client considered Montreal “a city where he would like to play”.
"I think people interpreted a little detail and it took on 20 times bigger proportions [than what it was actually]," the 24-year-old quickly added.
What future?
Despite the fact that he has signed a contract extension, the name of Dubois is likely to be at the heart of the rumor mill again this season, since his agreement is only for a period of one year. and worth $6 million.
However, the attacker will still be a free agent with compensation at this time and will therefore not be eligible to choose his next destination, he who could benefit from full autonomy only at the end of the 2023-2024 season. He has done nothing for himself to calm things down about his future, being rather evasive about his long-term future.
“After the conclusion of this contract, we will take care of the situation,” he simply said.
“I don't know what I will eat tonight. I don't know what I'm going to do in two years either. I don't know what I will be doing in six years. I don't even know what I'll be doing in six months. I am someone who has to think [before making a decision].”
Dubois will try to get the Jets back on track in 2022-23, after missing the playoffs the previous season. On a personal level, he will try to continue on his successes, he who, by virtue of a harvest of 60 points in 81 games, came within one point of equaling his personal mark. He established it in 2018-19 with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team that selected him with the third round in 2016.
