Could the Carolina Hurricanes bolster their center depth with a move for Dubois?
The Carolina Hurricanes could seek to add Pierre-Luc Dubois to their roster after the Quebecois center has reportedly asked for a move away from the buckeye state.
Rumors this week surfaced regarding Pierre-Luc Dubois and his time playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets. His desire to move away from the Buckeye state has prefaced a lot of interest for a lot of good reasons. It’s becoming more and more apparent that Dubois’ future in Columbus is short-lived, so why not look at how the Canes could make a move for the young Canadian?
Pierre Luc-Dubois was drafted 3rd overall in 2016. At the time he was viewed as a reach, but he’s become of the best players on the Columbus Blue Jackets roster. Tallying 65 career goals and 158 points over 234 games with the Jackets, he’s started to emerge as a genuine scoring threat. Although he can be bone-headed defensively from time to time, he is still only 22 with a lot of room to develop.
Dubois is coming off a season in which he recorded 18 goals and 49 points in 70 games. Not blowing the wheels of the league good, but certainly very respectable numbers. Dubois would have been 4th in scoring on the Hurricanes last season, only behind the three members of the SAT line. Moving for the want-away center may be something considered by the Canes front office.
Dubois is not going to be someone who could be acquired for scraps. He is a very talented player and the asking price will be high. Although, with the Columbus Blue Jackets apparently already looking at moving on from this player, potentially the price would not be as high as it once was. It will be interesting to see where Dubois moves and what for, but what could it take for the Canes
Pierre-Luc Dubois on contract negotiations that ended with him signing a two-year deal Friday with #CBJ: "Our goal was to get a contract before camp. The team, my agent and I have held private talks, and they will remain private throughout this."
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) January 3, 2021
Something I’ve seen floating around a lot is the idea of using Vincent Trocheck, Warren Foegele, and a pair of draft picks would likely get the Jackets to bite on the notion. Dubois is several years younger than Trocheck and Foegele being the sweetener would be what attracts Columbus. Is it worth it for the Carolina Hurricanes? That is a different question and I will let you make your own conclusions.
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Then there is the contract management standpoint. He is only under contract for 2 years at $5 million per. He’s going to need a new deal at the same time as Martin Necas which raises a lot of questions regarding the contract obligations. It’s certainly a move that could be made, although it seems like the hoops that would need to be jumped through are more trouble than it’s worth.
Rumors have suggested that any trade involving Pierre-Luc Dubois will see him traded out of the division. I have no idea if that refers to the stereotypical Metropolitan or the makeshift Discovery Central division that they have been lumped into. Either way, Carolina fit the criteria, and it is unlikely that we will see the Quebecois in the triangle via trade without a drastic overpayment which just is not worth it.
I would also like to reiterate that the teams that have supposed interest in the former third overall pick have been release and the Carolina Hurricanes are not one of them. This does not mean that a move cannot be made, but it does make it increasingly unlikely. There is a chance this is the move to be made, despite all the signs and warnings about it being a bad idea.