NASHVILLE | After months of speculation, it was ultimately the Los Angeles Kings who won the Pierre-Luc Dubois derby and not the Montreal Canadiens.
The Kings sent Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari and a 2024 second-round pick to the Jets in exchange for Dubois, whom they then signed to an eight-year contract that pays him $8.5 million annually.
Montreal Canadiens fans know that Pierre-Luc Dubois didn’t use their favorite team to up the ante. The Quebec hockey player believed in the possibility of joining the Habs until the last minute, but in the end it was the Los Angeles Kings who wanted him more.
For months, rumors circulated that Dubois would not sign a contract extension with the Winnipeg Jets as he intended to join the Montreal Canadiens. That tip was partially true, given what the 25-year-old centerman said Tuesday.
But the Habs weren’t the only team on Dubois’ list.
“When we spoke to Winnipeg about our intention not to re-sign, there were a few teams that we were interested in. We knew payroll and the possibility of an exchange would come into play.
“The Canadians, everyone knows that, it’s a team that interested me. We talked to them a bit but at the end of the day I wanted to go to the team that wanted me the most and that’s the feeling I got with the Kings. Once I felt I knew their intentions and plan, the decision was easy. We spoke in Montreal but I had a good feeling for the Kings from the start and I think I made the right decision.
Images that get people talking
Photos posted on social media had garnered huge reactions over the past few weeks, helping fuel the already overheated rumor mill in the Montreal market.
The first, recorded during the Montreal Grand Prix with Cole Caufield and some of agent Pat Brisson’s other clients, including Trevor Zegras, drew huge reactions.
“For the ones with Cole, there were Zegrass and Jack Hughes as well. You know what kind of person Cole is with a good sense of humor and he just wanted to take my picture but I told him that wasn’t the best idea.” laughing.
Second, Dubois stated with David Savard at the Stade Saputo during a CF game in Montreal that he paid for the tickets to the entire Savard family, which he considers a brother, having known him at the Columbus Blue Jackets.
All the hype surrounding him, he admits, was hard to deal with at times.
“Stories would come out and I would sit around and not be able to do much. […] It was tough for my family and friends. My mother read stories and asked me if that was true. We live in a world where stories, even if they are false, spread quickly. I looked forward to this moment and knew that with patience it would happen.
doubts dispelled
At 25, Dubois is already in a second career. He initially asked the Columbus Blue Jackets to trade him, which they did in January 2021, before telling the Winnipeg Jets two years later that he had no plans to renew his contract with them.
“We talked about it to understand the situations he was in. I spoke to his agent [Pat Brisson] to get their point of view. “Now he got into a situation where he could choose where he wanted to go, and we’re lucky that Los Angeles was one of those destinations,” said Rob Blake, Kings general manager.