Pierre-Luc Dubois' desire to be traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets has been discussed publicly quite a bit over the last couple of weeks. From the initial report of him wanting a "change of scenery" to coach John Tortorella telling reporters it would be addressed head on during training camp, the rumours have been confirmed. The only person we hadn't heard from in this situation was Dubois himself, until now.
Dubois was asked by reporters Sunday how he would handle the upcoming season given the desire to be traded.
"I'm gonna 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," said Dubois. "If I go out there and work hard in practices, have a good attitude, work hard in games, 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 I'm going to work hard and have a good attitude and be a good teammate, so I hope it's not a distraction."
Very noticeable about Dubois' statement was he never once denied the rumours. Why, exactly, he wants out of Columbus is a bit of a mystery. The former third overall pick in 2016 has had three very good seasons with the team since breaking into the NHL and seems poised to go even further this season.
While addressing reporters Sunday, Tortorella stated Dubois' desire for a trade will be handled similarly to how Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin played out two seasons ago; the team will confront it as a group and deal with it out in the open.
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