Pierre-Luc Dubois: keeping an eye on the Kings

At the moment, the Canadiens are far from being the only club in the race for Pierre-Luc Dubois’ services. Clubs such as the Rangers and the Wild are among the teams mentioned in the file.

Does this mean he’s not open to coming to Montreal? No. You know the guy wants to play here.

What it does mean is that if certain teams were to go after him and offer him the contract he wants, the Quebecker could well take the contract and move away from Montreal.

The Los Angeles Kings have been mentioned a few times now, and according to Elliotte Friedman, we shouldn’t be surprised to see the L.A. organization pick him up.

Marc Bergevin, who has often tried to get his hands on his services, would finally have him in his organization. #Ironic

Of course, you’d think that if the Kings were willing to give Dubois a nice contract, he’d be tempted to sign. We’re talking about a great city, a great organization and an interesting environment.

In the short term, this would give the Kings a nice center line. With Anze Kopitar (another year on his contract) and Phillip Danault (four years on his contract), they’d have a trio of firepower center players. And the veteran’s succession would be assured.

The Kings would be contenders, we agree.

The problem with all this is that Quinton Byfield would still be blocked by a veteran. Could the club trade him for Dubois? Not really: the Jets want established pieces to win now.

Unless the plan changes?

Finally, let’s note that the Sportsnet tipster thinks the center can fetch around $9 million. Whether it’s a little more or a little less, that’s the range.

So no, getting him out of Winnipeg won’t be easy for the Habs.

In gusto

– A touching message from Arpon Basu for his colleague Marc-Antoine Godin, who lost his job.

– Where can he go?

– It’s not a simple matter.