One day after Pierre-Luc Dubois’s benching became the talk of the NHL, Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen aggressively pursued trading his unhappy centre — with the belief a trade could come as soon as Saturday morning.
According to multiple sources, the Winnipeg Jets’ package includes two players of their own who have requested trades — Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic (Roslovic, who is unsigned, is a Columbus native). Anaheim is believed to have significantly increased its offer. Calgary and Montreal are among the other interested parties, and there are undoubtedly more. (As I write this, it is not believed the Canadiens are willing to include Nick Suzuki, although what’s true now might not be true 10 minutes from now.)
The Blue Jackets host Tampa Bay on Saturday afternoon, but, even if a move is not completed, Dubois is not expected to be in the lineup.
More to come, obviously.
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