Canadiens & Jets Emerging As Trade Partners

As the Winnipeg Jets and forward Pierre-Luc Dubois go through the motions of contract negotiations, the restricted free agent who currently does not have an NHL contract and his agent, would like to make one thing clear - Dubois wants to play for the Montreal Canadiens. Now the Canadiens will determine how all this plays out and if their interest level is strong enough to make a trade or just wait for Dubois to hit the open market next summer.

Dubois' agent Pat Brisson recently met with the media and had this to say to The Athletic:

Montreal is a city he would probably … I can talk about it because he doesn't have a contract at the moment - he's a restricted free agent. Montreal is a place, a city he'd like to play in. That's all I can say about that.

Dubois is coming off a season where he recorded 28 goals and 60 points in 81 games and was looking like he was finally settling in with the Jets after a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic. Now it appears another deal is on the horizon as don't expect to see PLD open to signing anything long term in Winnipeg this summer.

As for what a trade could look like, the Canadiens have been extremely busy overhauling their lineup as the new management regime looks to put their fingerprints on the roster. Some potential trade candidates out of Montreal include the likes of Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher, Christian Dvorak, and newcomer Kirby Dach. Considering how close Montreal is to the salary cap and how much work is still yet to be done, expect to see some more movement from the Habs this summer.