Top Trades, Landing Spots for Pierre-Luc Dubois

It was good news for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

But not for long.

Shortly after the ink was dry on a two-year, $10 million contract with restricted free agent forward Pierre-Luc Dubois—the team's leading scorer in 2019-20—word got out that the 22-year-old was angling for "a change of scenery," according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

The third overall pick behind Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine in the top-heavy 2016 draft, Dubois spent an extra season in juniors before joining the Blue Jackets on a full-time basis to begin 2017-18.

He scored 20 and 27 goals in two seasons as a complement to prolific linemate Artemi Panarin before the Russian bolted for the New York Rangers as a free agent. He responded with 18 goals and 31 assists in a pandemic-shortened regular season and added 10 more points in 10 summertime postseason games.

It's another difficult situation for Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, who saw Panarin leave for New York and turn in a 95-point season that made him a finalist for league MVP honors. That departure came alongside the free-agency exit of two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky.

And while it's no lock that Dubois will be playing elsewhere anytime soon, the B/R hockey team put its collective head together to figure out the most logical destinations should he force Kekalainen's hand.

Read through to see how our views stack up alongside yours, and drop a comment to let us know how we did.

Talent is not a problem for the Boston Bruins.

The team with the spoked-wheel logo boasts two of the league's top-six point scorers from 2019-20—including 24-year-old David Pastrnak, whose 48 goals were tied for the NHL's best—and a goaltender in Tuukka Rask whose goals-against average (2.12) and save percentage (.929) were first and second, respectively.

But there are cracks in the tread.

Injuries to both Pastrnak (hip) and Brad Marchand (hernia) will render them either less effective or entirely absent for the season's first several weeks, and Rask is returning to the locker room after leaving the team before Game 3 of its playoff series with the Carolina Hurricanes to tend to a family emergency.

Throw in blue-line holes created by the free-agency exits of power-play ace Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara, and it's no wonder that the Bruins might be looking for a positive jolt.

A player of Dubois' quality would fit that description, and at 22, he'd provide a long-term future option once the front-line likes of Marchand (32 years old), David Krejci (34) and Patrice Bergeron (35) hit the skids.

BostonHockeyNow.com's Jimmy Murphy cited a source claiming general manager Don Sweeney had "looked into what it may take" to acquire Dubois from the Blue Jackets. If he calls us for advice, we would suggest leading off by dangling forwards Jake DeBrusk and Charlie Coyle and a draft pick to see how Kekalainen reacts.

And if he goes along willingly, pull the trigger as soon as possible.

It's an interesting time to be a Calgary Flames fan.

There's reason for optimism given the presence of offensive stars like Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, not to mention the free-agent signing of coveted goaltender Jacob Markstrom.

Then again, there's reason for concern given that those offensive weapons have yet to produce much beyond frustration in the playoffs—the Flames led the eventual Western Conference champion Dallas Stars 2-1 in their best-of-seven series before dropping three straight games—and both Gaudreau and Tkachuk will be free agents after two more seasons in Alberta.

So while the window is open, it won't stay that way forever.

Adding a 22-year-old with three productive seasons under his belt can't help but make a good team better, particularly at a reasonable $5 million annually.

Center Sean Monahan is a few years older but was just one point off Dubois' number last season, so he could make sense if the teams go for a one-to-one swap. The Flames could also add a draft pick to sweeten the pot and compete in what's sure to be a crowded market.

Truth be told, it won't help keep the window open any longer given that Dubois remains on track to be an unrestricted free agent in two seasons as well. But it would make those two seasons a lot more interesting. 

"There's no place like home."

OK, it was a movie character who said it first, but it's not hard to imagine Dubois parroting the line if a deal is made to send him to his native province and the league's most storied franchise.

The Montreal Canadiens were among the biggest surprises in the Eastern Conference playoffs during the summer, and the pipeline is filled to bursting with young guns on the brink of the NHL.

So to suggest there are pieces with which to get something done is an understatement.

Forward Nick Suzuki was drafted a year later than Dubois and posted 41 points in 71 games as a rookie in Montreal last season, while right winger Cole Caufield was picked 15th overall in 2019 and won a gold medal with Team USA at the world juniors. They'd combine for an interesting package, but it's no guarantee that the Canadiens would be willing to part with both, or either, in exchange for Dubois.

Short of that, perhaps mixing a more experienced NHL player like Phillip Danault with a slightly lesser prospect on the level of Kaiden Guhle would be more palatable. A 27-year-old center, Danault has 50 goals and 175 points across five full-time seasons with the Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks, while Guhle was picked 16th in the 2020 draft and projects as a multi-talented defenseman with size (6'3") and skating ability.

A two-way forward and a potential No. 1 defender ought to at least get a conversation started.

I'll take yours if you take mine. As simple as it sounds, it could be the rationale necessary to facilitate a deal between the Blue Jackets and New York Islanders.

The idea that trade winds are circulating around Dubois indicates his apparently reluctance to remain in Columbus, while the Islanders are less than 10 days away from the start of a new season and have yet to strike a deal with their own prized restricted free agent, Mathew Barzal.

So maybe exchanging one another's headaches is the way to get things done for Kekalainen and New York GM Lou Lamoriello.

Dubois is a year younger but has played the same number of regular-season games—234—as Barzal, also a center, who was plucked at No. 16 in the 2015 draft. Dubois has an edge in goals (65-59), while Barzal is ahead in assists (148-93), and both have produced respectably in playoff opportunities.

Barzal was the Islanders' third-leading scorer in their unlikely run to the Eastern Conference Final during the summer, while Dubois averaged a point per postseason game for the Blue Jackets until they were eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

The $4.2 million in cap space Columbus possesses might make it easier to get the Islanders into a sign-and-trade scenario with Barzal, and both teams would wind up with potential centerpieces for the next several years.

If you're ranking which options make the most sense, this one is difficult to beat.

A prolific 22-year-old who was drafted early in 2016 and may want to head elsewhere.

Is it just us, or could that describe both Dubois and the man picked one slot ahead of him, Patrik Laine?

For those unaware, Laine has made a similarly impressive—and statistically superior—impact on the NHL since arriving to the Winnipeg Jets, already racking up four seasons with at least 28 goals and one with 40.

But trade stories about him have also become a cottage industry for NHL writers, including a Winnipeg Sun column posted Monday under the headline "Jets' Laine doesn't deny he wants out."

Sound familiar?

Laine is signed for one more season at $6.75 million before he becomes a restricted free agent, which means the Blue Jackets could absorb the excess money if a one-for-one agreement were reached. And they would then have the option of re-upping him for a longer term or unloading him for assets before he's due another raise.

Dubois would head off with two years in writing before he's up for another deal with the same scenario.

If nothing else, like the aforementioned Barzal suggestion, it could be as much about trading distractions as it is about trading players.