The Pierre-Luc Dubois saga came to an end on Saturday with the successful trade that saw the center go from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovc.
This happened after Dubois called for a Columbus switch and went through a difficult four-game spell to open the season, where he was eliminated on two different occasions. This includes a bank that has covered almost an entire game. It was at this point that it became clear that trade would be a necessity, sooner or later.
On Saturday, the exchange took place. So, we knew who and when, but we still didn’t know what because.
As in, because Dubois wanted to leave Columbus?
A few hours after the negotiation on Saturday night, Dubois sat down for an interview with Ron MacLean of Sportsnet (watch the full interview on Sportsnet) and tried to answer that question. He made it clear that it was something he thought about for a while, especially as contract negotiations continued this offseason (he signed a two-year, $ 10 million contract just before the start of the season).
It was a process
“I said from the start that I won’t go into details and I won’t,” said Dubois. “I can say that it was a process. I was thinking for a long time. It was not overnight. Not that I just woke up one morning and it was a decision to make. It was something I thought about. In the course of negotiations, you obviously don’t take anything personally, but as they go on more and more you kind of start to think about things and situations.
“At some point I thought it was Pierre-Luc Dubois, the hockey player, and Pierre-Luc Dubois, the human. I wanted to be true to myself, to my teammates. I knew that if it was a longer agreement, deep down, I would like that to happen. I wanted to be real to myself, to be real to my teammates and everyone. I know that some people are not happy about it, and I understand that. But I am extremely grateful for all that Columbus, the fans and the city, and the team have done for me. “
Response from teammates
MacLean asked Dubois about the response from his teammates and the difficult situation it can be for a young player to ask for an exchange. It was there that he spoke at the training camp meeting that coach John Tortorella had mentioned when he asked Dubois to speak with the team to leave everything open.
“We talked before the camp started, as Torts said. He wanted to openly disclose this to everyone and that is also something I wanted to do, ”said Dubois.
“I didn’t want to play with my teammates. I respect them more than anyone. I let them know, I let them know the reasons. It has nothing to do with them. They have been great for me since I came to the NHL, making me feel part of the team, making me feel like Columbus is a home. We are all teammates, we are all friends, we all care about each other. At the end of the day you want your friend, you want your teammate to be happy. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes you may be disappointed in their decisions, but I just know that at the end of the day they want me to be happy. “
Dubois said that Tortorella was not the reason
Finally, the elephant in the room was addressed: how much role did his relationship with Tortorella play in the decision. Dubois spoke at length about how he knew what kind of coach Tortorella was when he was drafted, and that he talked to many players who had played for him before they told him what to expect. The consensus was that he would push, but that it was simply to make it better and that, years later, you would look back and appreciate it. Dubois said that Tortorella was NOT the cause of his request.
“I know that for some people it can be, well, that’s the reason, but it’s not,” said Dubois. “He was a tough coach, but I can take it, nothing is personal. I grew up with a father who is a coach, he always told me that if a coach challenges you it is nothing personal, he just wants what is best for you. That’s how I see Torts and I have nothing but respect for him. “
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Adam Gretz is a writer for Professional hockey lecture at NBC Sports. Talk to him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.