With an ongoing string of requests, rumours, and reports surrounding Pierre-Luc Dubois’ imminent departure from the Winnipeg Jets, the Montreal Canadiens are still very much in the running to acquire the Quebec-born player.
The thing is, the prospect of a bidding war breaking out means the Habs will likely have to give up more than they bargained for.
Earlier this month, Arpon Basu of The Athletic reported that Duboisā agent Pat Brisson let the Jets organization know his client wants to be moved to another team. The 24-year-old may have made it clear that Montreal is his preferred destination, but there are also other teams on his list.
Among those reportedly interested are the Los Angeles Kings, who hold enticing trade pieces like Quinton Byfield and Alex Turcotte that they could offer up.
On a recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman confirmed that the Kings were taking a run at Dubois, who would likely be traded in a sign-and-trade type of deal.
āThere are some teams here who really think that LA is going to take a run at himā¦ [Anze] Kopitarās got one year left on his contract and I donāt know what the future is there,ā Friedman said. āI had some guys tell me that they think LA is going to take a big run at this guy.ā
With that in mind, can the Canadiens make a legitimate offer that won’t dismantle their roster too much?
It’s important to note that the Habs and Jets have apparently exchanged trade offers involving Dubois over the past year. One rejected proposal (submitted by Winnipeg) even involved Habs captain Nick Suzuki.
According to a report from The Athletic, Montreal also tried to put together a package deal involving forwards Christian Dvorak and Josh Anderson, along with a first-round pick, which Winnipeg declined.
That means the Canadiens probably have to sweeten the pot this time around, especially with a team like LA entering the race.
While it would be nice to part ways with a player like Mike Hoffman, Joel Armia, or even Joel Edmundson, their value probably won’t be enough to entice Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff.
Sean Monahan was once a possibility but no longer since he signed an extension with the Habs on Tuesday.
With that said, Kirby Dach, a big, young forward coming off a career season with Montreal, has likely caught Winnipeg’s eye. Dach is also on an affordable contract, which sees him earning an average of $3.362 million for the next three years. But his high value, bright potential and the fact that the Habs gave up a first and third-round draft pick to acquire him will make it hard for Montreal to part with him.
And speaking of draft picks, Montreal currently holds 11 picks in the upcoming Entry Draft, including the 2023 fifth overall pick along with another first-rounder (31st overall) they obtained from the Florida Panthers. While it’s unlikely that they give up the former, the latter is certainly on the table. They have enough at their disposal to throw in some late round picks for good measure as well.
The Habs can also afford to part ways with one of their many young defencemen, a position the Jets are lacking in. The likes of Jordan Harris, Justin Barron, and Logan Mailloux could help bridge that gap and get a deal done.
But no matter how you spin it, Montreal will have to part with something valuable to bring Dubois over.
And if they can’t pull the trigger, another team probably will.