Pierre-Luc Dubois: hopes of a hostile bid derailed the Blue Jackets' plan

The rumors surrounding Pierre-Luc Dubois will never stop until he’s a Canadiens player. These rumors get into many people’s heads and can cause havoc, like what happened in Columbus.

On October 8, 2020, the Blue Jackets decided to trade defensemen Ryan Murray and Markus Nutivaara to make room for Pierre-Luc Dubois’ next contract. At least, that’s what Aaron Portzline of The Athletic explained during his recent appearance on Tony Marinaro’s Sick Podcast .

Do you have any reservations on Pierre-Luc Dubois?@Aportzline joins @TonyMarinaro to discuss PLD.

Full pod👇🏻
Watch: https://t.co/ENGDdZHwD4
Listen: https://t.co/u4IrbiF943#Habs #GoHabsGo #thesickpodcast pic.twitter.com/21NfH6lrD4

– The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) April 22, 2023

In fact, it was rumored that the Canadiens were planning to make a hostile offer to Pierre-Luc Dubois in the fall of 2020, as he was a compensated free agent. These two transactions were made to send a message to the Canadiens.

“You want to show others that you’re going to match the hostile offer. You don’t even want anyone to try with an offer.” – Aaron Portzline

Dubois ended up signing a new two-year contract on December 31, 2020. However, he still wanted to be a Canadiens player at that time.

Despite his intention to join the Canadiens, he was committed to Columbus. All seemed well. He had found an apartment in Columbus and was the team’s number-one center.

However, the Jackets were afraid he might leave in the future and sent him to Winnipeg at the start of the season in January. As a result, they lost both their defensemen and Dubois in the space of a few months. Things haven’t been going well for them since.

Last off-season, Dubois was due to sign a new contract with Winnipeg, and rumors continued to surface on both sides. He still wanted to receive a hostile offer from the Canadiens. Kent Hughes, however, doesn’t seem ready to give up his picks by signing Dubois with a hostile offer.

Pierre-Luc Dubois will become a compensated free agent again this summer, and the rumour mill will continue to churn. Personally, I’m expecting more of a transaction. The Canadiens will have to give the Jets some compensation, but it won’t all be first-round draft picks.

As usual, it’s a case to watch. But will it ever really end?