Rumor: Columbus and Winnipeg Talking Blockbuster Trade

They say timing is everything and for the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Winnipeg Jets this couldn't be more true. Both teams are dealing with a touch of adversity as training camp opened as both teams have young stars who would rather play somewhere else. 

Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Jackets and Patrik Laine of the Jets both apparently want out and yes, there's certainly a chance the two could be dealt for each other.

Pierre LeBrun via The Athletic mentions:

It’s ironic of course that Kekalainen had shown interest in Laine when now it’s him, too, that has a young star putting him in a tough spot… Laine for Dubois? I mean, it’s not the craziest notion ever.

For the Jets, Dubois will slide perfectly into their 2nd-line center spot behind Mark Scheifele for the foreseeable future and given his size and the way he plays, it would compliment nicely. This would allow for the team to keep Blake Wheeler on the wing and have Wheeler and Scheifele together and Dubois with Kyle Connor. Some would argue the lines would be more balanced with Dubois in the lineup and the team would actually be saving $1.75 million with this trade.

For the Blue Jackets adding a sniper like Laine is exactly what the team needs. Having Cam Atkinson and Laine as your 1-2 RW's would stack up against any other team in the league. The interesting wrinkle here is CBJ's head coach John Tortorella who infamously can be hard on players and if Laine didn't get along with Paul Maurice, who knows what would happen if he gets blasted by Torts. The Blue Jackets are desperate for offense and adding potentially 40 goals a season would do wonders for the franchise. Max Domi and Laine together would be an interesting duo.

Per Elliotte Friedman: Did you know Pierre-Luc Dubois’s father, Eric, coaches in the Winnipeg organization? (He’s an assistant for the AHL Moose)

Photo credit: Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire