Pierre-Luc Dubois: the Jets “at the center of the field hockey universe this summer”, according to Frank Seravalli

Pierre-Luc Dubois has been linked to the Habs for quite some time now. In fact, you have to go back to the 2016 amateur draft to find the first link between the player and the team, when Marc Bergevin really wanted to get his hands on the big Quebec center, to the point of being willing to trade P.K. Subban to make it happen.

In the end, Columbus drafted him third, so Bergevin never had a chance to draft him.

Since then, however, his name has continued to circulate in the rumour mill. Everything seems to indicate that he wants to come to town sooner or later, and it could happen before the summer of 2024 (when he becomes an independent player) via a transaction.

And according to Frank Seravalli, the idea of a deal as early as this summer is definitely not out of the question. In fact, he expects the Jets to be “at the center of the field hockey universe this summer”, and there’s likely to be some fireworks there over the next few weeks.

Buckle up, it’s the Summer of Chevy. With Hellebuyck, Scheifele, Dubois and Wheeler on the board, Winnipeg is going to be the center of the field hockey universe for the next month.

Top 25 Trade Targets is up @DailyFaceoff:https://t.co/WpI8gWcX0M

– Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 2, 2023

The current core seems to have had its day in town, and with Dubois, Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler all set to become free as a bird a year from now, Kevin Cheveldayoff may be tempted to clean house now rather than lose them for nothing a year from now.

And when you consider what happened between Wheeler and his coach Rick Bowness at the end of last season, you get the sense that there’s some tension and it could be time for a change.

All this brings us back once again to Dubois, who seems closer than ever to leaving Winnipeg. He really doesn’t seem like a guy who wants to settle in for the long term, and if he wants to spend the next few years of his career in Montreal, a transaction in the next few weeks could make that easier.

As long as the Jets don’t demand Nick Suzuki (or Cole Caufield) in return, I think it can be done.

I still think that Kent Hughes doesn’t necessarily have to pay the Jets top dollar for a deal, and that if PLD really wants to come, he’ll just have to sign with the CH in the summer of 2024. That said, if the offer is reasonable (I wouldn’t give away Kirby Dach either, for example), I can understand if the Tricolore want to make sure they get him this summer.

We’ll have to keep an eye on this one, but expect some sparks to fly. Some big names could be leaving Winnipeg in the next few weeks, and Dubois could be the first.

In bursts

– Michael Pezzetta says he expects the team to improve next season.

– It’s a big deal.

A reminder that Philip Joseph Kessel Jr. may soon be a – Stanley Cup champion pic.twitter.com/FYlmUIYx63

– B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 2, 2023

– Listen now.

– We wish them all the best.

– To be continued.