WINNIPEG — Pierre-Luc Dubois says he never asked for a trade to the Winnipeg Jets and comments that he wanted to play in Montreal were blown out of proportion.
The five-year NHL forward spoke to the media on a phone call Monday after agreeing to a one-year, $6 million qualifying offer with the Jets last Friday.
“You hear things I want out of Winnipeg,” Dubois said. “If I wanted out, I would have asked for an exchange. I didn’t ask for any change. Not for a second. It never occurred to me for a second to ask for a change.”
Dubois, 24, arrived in Winnipeg at the start of the 2020-21 season in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets for Patrik Laine, Jack Roslovic and a third-round pick.
The native of Ste-Agathe-Des-Monts, Que., played in 81 games for the Jets last season, recording a career-high 28 goals and 32 assists. His 60 points were one shy of the career-best 61 he posted with Columbus in 2018-19.
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff had wanted to lock down the top six centers to a long-term deal. He is now a restricted free agent again next summer and becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2024.
Speculation about Dubois’ future increased after his agent, Pat Brisson, said Dubois would like to play for the Montreal Canadiens.
Dubois felt as if Brisson’s question and his answer were misunderstood.
“I saw the comments that (Brisson) made,” he said. “I think people are blowing them out of proportion. I think people took a little thing and blew it 20 times, and that’s fine. People can read (if) what they want into it.”
Dubois noted that the question Brisson had been asked was really, “Is Montreal a market he’d like to play in one day?”
“And he (Brisson) said, ‘Maybe that’s a place he’d see himself playing,'” Dubois said.
Dubois had attended the NHL draft in Montreal earlier this month, prompting a report that he was there because there was a deal to trade him to the Canadiens.
He explained that he is a hockey fan and has moved on to drafts. He had been invited to the one in Montreal by his bank, which had a box for the event.
Dubois also lives 10-15 minutes from Bell Centre.
It wouldn’t be unusual for a player to be asked if they would like to play in their hometown market, Dubois noted.
Asked if he would like to play for the Canadiens one day, Dubois said, “You never know what can happen. There’s so many things on the table, so many things that could happen.
“I have signed my contract with Winnipeg and I look forward to the start of the season. That’s all I’m thinking about right now.”
The one year contract was the length he was comfortable with at this point in his life. He wants to think hard about a long-term arrangement, as well as get the opinions of his family and his girlfriend.
“Halfway through my next contract I could have a family,” he said. “You don’t know, so many things can happen there that I don’t want to move too fast and regret it later.
“When you say you want to be somewhere for a long time, you have to be sure of that not just for the first or second year, but for the duration of the contract.”
The Jets (39-32-11) missed the playoffs last year for the seventh time since moving to Winnipeg from Atlanta in 2011.
Players expressed frustration with the season, which included the unexpected resignation of Paul Maurice as head coach last December. The club finished with interim bench boss Dave Lowry.
Earlier this month, the Jets hired new head coach Rick Bowness.
Dubois plans to go to Michigan this summer to skate with some teammates. He said he’s looking forward to training camp and turning the page on last season’s poor results with the new coaching staff.
“It was disappointing, frustrating, a hard pill to swallow and almost like a slap in the face, a wake-up call,” he said.
“But we know the talent we have in our team. We know we have a good team. We know we have confidence in each other… Sometimes when you have a chip on your shoulder and that extra motivation, it can go a long way in having a good year. So we’ll start at the training camp and go from there.”
The third overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Dubois has 239 points (102 goals, 137 assists) and 306 penalty minutes in 361 career games for both the Jets and Blue Jackets.
He has also played for Canada on several occasions, including three world championships, and won world silver in 2019 and 2022.
Dubois is the son of Manitoba Moose assistant coach Eric Dubois.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 25, 2022