Two of the first three choices in the 2016 NHL draft switched places on Saturday after a successful deal between Columbus and Winnipeg.
The Blue Jackets sent the disgruntled pivot Pierre-Luc Dubois and a choice in the third round for the Jets to the right wing Patrik Laine and the pivot Jack Roslovic, according to several reports.
The move comes just 48 hours after Dubois was replaced by former Rangers coach John Tortorella in the defeat in overtime for Lightning.
The 22-year-old French Canadian requested a negotiation with Columbus before the start of the season this month, after a long negotiation process that resulted in the restricted free agent signing a two-year contract worth $ 5 million.
Dubois, the former third overall choice, led Columbus with 18 goals and 31 assists last year and was the third overall choice in the 2016 draft.
But Dubois scored just one goal in the first five games and seemed unconcerned at times, which led to his bench on Thursday. He played less than four minutes, which was well below his average of 17 minutes per game.
“I definitely have to improve,” Dubois told reporters on Friday.
Laine, 22, has been the target of commercial rumors for the past two years, despite scoring an impressive 140 goals in 306 games.
The Finnish native was the second choice in 2016 and is in the second year of a $ 13.5 million two-year contract.