Pierre-Luc Dubois Comments on Trade Demands

Pierre-Luc Dubois was supposed to be a huge part of the Columbus Blue Jackets franchise when they selected him third overall at the 2016 draft. Unfortunately for the Jackets, the big centreman wants out after three seasons and the reason why appears to be related to his head coach.

With training camp starting on Sunday for the Blue Jackets, head coach John Tortorella decided to approach the situation head on and came out with exactly how the team was going to handle the situation.  

WOW: This Is Going to Be Awkward; Dubois Trade Coming Soon!!! 😱💯https://t.co/0DjkCnyA7g

— NHL Trade Rumors (@NHLTradeRumors) January 3, 2021

Well, then it was Dubois' turn to shed some light on the matter and the 22-year-old had this to say to the media about how exactly everything is going to be handled so he can ensure he's not a distraction:

I'm going to be the best player I can be, the best teammate I can be, (and) the best person I can be. I don't want it to be a distraction, so I think that's the only way.

I think if I go out there and I work hard in practices, have a good attitude, work hard in games, (and) play well, I think it's not a distraction. It's if I don't do those things that it could become (one), but I know the attitude I'm going to have. I know that I'm going to work hard, and I know I'm going to have a good attitude and be a good teammate. So I hope it's not a distraction.

Dubois shouldn't expect much love from his head coach as Tortorella made it clear he's not going to be putting any extra time in with Dubois and will only be focusing on the players that want to be there:

I'm not disappointed. I am going to ... put time into the people that want to be here. This isn't new for us .... We're not going to overthink this. We're going to have a conversation, everybody's going to understand where everybody stands ... and then we're going to get about our business and get ready to play.

Yikes, what a weird situation.

Photo credit: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire