2023-06-08 07:00:00
BUFFALO, NY — In the days leading up to the National League Combine, the restaurant adjoining the hotel lobby where the event takes place is taken over by team executives, player agents and reporters. Rallies are happening at almost every table, but the majority of them aren’t that big, or at least aren’t likely to make the news.
It was not one of those meetings.
When the restaurant was light on Tuesday afternoon, Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff sat at a table overlooking the Buffalo River with agent Pat Brisson and a few associates. The topic of discussion was a Brisson client and one of Cheveldayoff’s top two center players, Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Brisson informed Cheveldayoff that his client Dubois was not willing to sign a new contract with the Jets, even if it was to be a one-year contract bringing him to complete autonomy. This was revealed on Wednesday by our colleague Pierre LeBrun, adding that Brisson was going to work with Cheveldayoff to facilitate a transaction.
Don’t expect Cheveldayoff to stonewall, take Dubois to arbitration for a year and try to trade him at the trade deadline. A change of address is therefore highly probable. But that doesn’t mean that Dubois is necessarily coming to Montreal.
Here’s what we learned about this case.
The Dubois camp will provide a list of teams with which the Quebec forward would be interested in signing a long-term agreement. We are talking about maybe five or six teams. Obviously, Brisson will have to assess the willingness of these organizations to integrate Dubois and his new contract before adding them to the list. The Canadian, who contacted the Jets as soon as they were eliminated, will be part of it. Cheveldayoff will then try to negotiate with these formations the exchange that he deems most favorable for the Jets.
In parallel with these steps, Brisson will continue to define the parameters of its client’s new contract. By proceeding to a “sign and trade” to which the Jets would affix their signature, Dubois would be able to seek an eight-year pact with his new team, which he could not do by signing directly with her. As for the Jets, they can get better value back by monetizing a player who is signed and delivered. This is the process used by the Calgary Flames and the Florida Panthers last summer in the exchange of Matthew Tkachuk.
From what we’ve learned, Dubois’ coveted salary could change somewhat depending on the team. For example, compromises might be easier to make if he joins a Stanley Cup contender team than if he comes to Montreal with a rebuilding team. However, this is where the challenge lies for Kent Hughes: the GM of the Canadiens will have to try to use Dubois’ sincere interest in playing in Montreal to convince him to accept a lower salary and thus stay on the job. within the internal limits that the organization has set itself.
But in general, we can expect Dubois to seek to sign a pact of more than $9 million per year, which corresponds to the projections we made a few weeks ago.
Tkachuk ($9.5 million), Mathew Barzal ($9.15 million) and Roope Hintz ($8.45 million) are cases Brisson and his cronies can learn from, as they all signed contracts when they were one year away from full autonomy and like Dubois, they were entitled to arbitration as free agents with compensation.
Tkachuk was just 24 when he signed his current contract with Florida, Barzal was 25 and Hintz had just turned 26. As for Dubois, he will celebrate his 25th birthday on Saint John’s Day.
But if the Dubois camp plans to use Tkachuk as a comparable, it should be noted that the latter had just collected 104 points in Calgary before signing his new contract, which is well above the 63 points Dubois obtained this season and which constitute his career high.
The Habs will have to consider whether the salary Dubois covets suits him and whether the Jets’ asking price in terms of assets also suits him. These two factors alone move us away from the automatism that has been circulating for a few months, namely that if Dubois leaves Winnipeg, he is necessarily coming to Montreal.
The Canadian must also ask himself how much he needs Dubois. The organization is very encouraged by the progress of Kirby Dach and sees him in the future as a center player, where he is better able to exploit one of his greatest qualities, that of carrying the disc. through the neutral zone.
However, if the CH intends to continue the development of Dach in the center, and that it is already betting on Nick Suzuki, does this mean that it would necessarily see Dubois on the wing? Difficult to answer this question, but what we do know is that although Dubois sees himself as a center player, the position where he would play in his new team is not a factor that will weigh heavily in the balance. at the time of the transaction.
The outcome of the Dubois file in the coming weeks should suit the teams interested in him, because competing with the offers of half a dozen formations will not create as strong an overbid as if Dubois had tested the market. free agents in July 2024.
The Jets don’t want to go through a full-blown rebuild and will seek National League players in such a trade. They’ll have to test the waters quickly, though, as a deal is expected to be completed before or during the draft, which takes place June 28-29.
Montreal has no interest in Carter Hart
New Philadelphia Flyers GM Daniel Briere has let anyone who will listen know that he’s willing to listen to offers on all of his players, including Carter Hart.
The 24-year-old goaltender can be seen as an interesting option given that he is still improving and has the potential to become one of the NHL’s top goaltenders. But even if the age curve and the desire of the Canadian to improve in net could make Hart an attractive option, the organization decided that it would not exploit this avenue. The motivation behind this choice is unclear, but the situation was described to us as “not admissible”.
During a press briefing on Thursday in Buffalo, Hughes, on the other hand, showed himself open to the idea of initiating negotiations with goaltender Samuel Montembeault, who will become an unrestricted free agent next summer and who is eligible for sign a new contract from July 1st. But, true to form, Hughes intends not to comment on the progress of the negotiations if they ever get started.
(Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA Today)
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