2023-06-24 13:25:00
The Winnipeg Jets have sent a message to the Montreal Canadiens. According to my colleague from Montreal Journal Marc DeFoy, Kent Hughes has yet to submit an attractive enough offer to convince Kevin Cheveldayoff to part with Pierre-Luc Dubois.
To win the Dubois derby, the CH might always sacrifice their first round choice, the 5th overall. But Hughes will not fall into this trap.
Yes, Dubois is only 24 years old. Yes, he already has three 60-plus seasons in the NHL. Yes, he has a commanding physique at 6′, 2″ and 205 lbs. Yes, he is a good center player.
There are several reasons that will push Hughes to wisdom.
With the fifth overall pick, the Canadian will have the opportunity to draft a promising youngster. Even if we can expect Nick Bobrov and Martin Lapointe to turn their backs on Matvei Michkov, there will still be several big names in this rank. Ryan Leonard, Zach Benson, Dalibor Dvorsky and David Reinbacher represent good candidates.
The 2023 draft is nothing like the 2022 draft. According to several recruiters, the fifth prospect of this vintage has the potential to become a better player in the future than Juraj Slafkovsky, the first in class from last year.
A financial imbalance
If the CH sacrificed their fifth overall pick for Dubois, there would also be a significant financial repercussion. At the dawn of his eighth season in the NHL, Dubois still has no contract. He would be looking for an agreement of nearly $ 9 million per season.
$9 million is roughly nine times more than a typical rookie contract salary. With Leonard, Benson or Dvorsky, the Habs would benefit from this player for two or three seasons at a salary of around $1 million per year, not counting possible bonuses.
There is another reality to consider. If the Jets remain too greedy in this file, the Canadian might always cross his fingers and wait until July 1, 2024.
Dubois might once once more sign a contract for a single season in order to benefit from his complete autonomy at the end of the next season. At that point, the CH might lure him to Montreal simply with a big check, without giving anything to the Jets.
No cas DeBrincat
Historically, it makes sense to believe in a trade of such a high draft pick once morest a young NHL star. In the 2022 draft from Montreal, the Ottawa Senators acquired winger Alex DeBrincat – a two-time 40-plus goal scorer – for the seventh overall pick.
Photo credit: AFP Photo
Senators GM Pierre Dorion also gave the Blackhawks a 2022 second-round pick (Paul Ludwinski) and a 2024 third-round pick. With the seventh pick, the Hawks drafted defenseman Kevin Korchinski.
At the time, several analysts cried genius for Dorion. But a year later, the discourse has changed.
DeBrincat does not yet have a contract for next season, as he will become a restricted free agent in July. The Senators will now consider trading him as well.
With the addition of DeBrincat, Dorion tried to speed up the rebuilding process in Ottawa, but he didn’t win his bet. The petite winger has only scored 27 goals in the nation’s capital. The Senators won’t want to offer him a contract worth more than $7 million, which he will demand. By trading him in the next few days, Dorion will recover an asset with a good draft pick or prospects, but he will not find a seventh overall pick.
The Kings in the game
According to multiple sources, the Los Angeles Kings also have their eyes on Dubois. The Kings have good young prospects like Gabriel Vilardi and Quinton Byfield to convince Cheveldayoff.
At CH, Hughes also has good cards in his game with another first-round pick (31st overall) and a host of young defenders. The Jets will have to decide. But they will not have the moon and the sun for Dubois.
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