As insiders discuss possible landing spots for Pierre-Luc Dubois, teams are going to be tossed out there in trade speculation. So far, what we know is that a lot of teams are likely to kick tires as news that Dubois is unhappy with his situation in Columbus becomes more mainstream. So far, seven clubs have been potentially linked in trade chatter. Undoubtedly, there will be more.
Related: Blackhawks’ Interest in Dubois Could Derail Rebuild Before it Starts
One of the interesting theories with any Dubois discussion is that the Blue Jackets are not going to be looking to make a four-for-one kind of trade. In other words, the Blue Jackets want an impact player coming back instead of just getting a load of draft picks and futures or young prospects. That theory has popped some ideas into the heads of NHL insiders who might have a handle on the discussions floating around the marketplace.
The Flames a Fit?
Among the teams already mentioned, Pierre LeBrun believes the Calgary Flames might check in on the Dubois situation. He believes that organization could be an attractive trade partner for the Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen because the Flames have been rumored to be on the lookout for a deal that could send one of Sean Monahan or Johnny Gaudreau out of town.
This is not to say that the Flames are keen to get rid of either player, but there’s talk that if things don’t improve for the Flames,– specifically in terms of them taking the next steps in their postseason aspirations — they’ll need to move some of the core group they thought would usher them forward and hasn’t.
LeBrun explains:
This could be an appealing trade partner for Columbus if a Dubois deal is more about getting players back who can help the Jackets now. Is there something here around Dubois and Monahan? Again, this is just me spit-balling. But I’d be surprised if the Flames didn’t check in.
Just a Theory At This Stage
Like many of the trade ideas that will be out there, this connection between the Flames and Blue Jackets is not much more than a theory at this point. There are a few things that would need to happen first before this becomes more than LeBrun throwing ideas against the wall.
First, the Blue Jackets need to have a better handle on what the market will bare for Dubois’ services. Kekäläinen is going to have a lot of interested teams and he’ll need to do his due diligence to get the best return based on what he thinks his team needs. Second, the Flames need to have a bad 2020-21 season.
If Calgary struggles in the North Division and isn’t one of the four teams to advance to this year’s playoffs, all bets are off. The Flames may completely overhaul the team and talk of Gaudreau or Monahan moving will be hard to ignore. If the Flames could land Dubois for one of those players, they’d certainly be happy to talk deal.
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