On their 32 Thoughts podcast, hosts Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek discussed potential trade destinations for Winnipeg Jets center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who has expressed the desire to be traded. Surprisingly, they mentioned the Tampa Bay Lightning as a team that would be a possible destination for the 24-year-old restricted free agent (RFA).
The overriding theory is that Dubois would prefer to go to the Montreal Canadiens. However, if a deal cannot be worked out, the Lightning were listed as a possible trade partner for the Jets. At first glance, it would appear that there is very little chance that the salary-cap-strapped Lightning could make the trade, but a deeper look into the team’s roster suggests that there are possibilities.
The Price for Dubois
Draft picks will not be involved as the Jets are looking for players to complete their roster for the 2023-24 season as they are potentially looking at losing Dubois, as well as Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, and Blake Wheeler. This leaves them with some large holes to fill in their roster, especially at center. They need NHL-ready players who can, at least, give the Jets a chance to fight for a playoff spot next season. This is where the Lightning comes into the scenario.
What will probably happen with Dubois, according to Frank Serevalli of the Daily Faceoff, is that Winnipeg will find a willing party, negotiate an eight-year extension, and then complete a sign-and-trade, much like what happened with the recent trade between the New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets involving Damon Severson. Since the Jets will likely need at least one center, Anthony Cirelli and/or Ross Colton would likely be the players that the Jets would be interested in acquiring.
What Dubois Can Bring to the Lightning
The first thing this trade would do is give cap relief to the Lightning. Any trade that happens is going to have to be cap friendly and will likely involve some combination of Cirelli, Colton, and Erik Cernak. While it may not save them enough to keep Alex Killorn, it would give the Lightning some freedom in signing either some of their own or other restricted free agents in the offseason. While that price does seem high, we have seen in the past that general manager Julien BriseBois is not afraid to overspend to allow the Lightning to field a Stanley Cup-contending roster.
A trade involving Dubois would allow the Lightning to plan for their salary cap in the future by having known contract costs for a 24-year-old player. This will help them plan for future salary cap issues, as they have a handful of key players that will be unrestricted free agents (UFAs) in the near future. Steven Stamkos will be the first big name to hit free agency in the coming years, as he will become a UFA after the 2023-24 season.
On the ice, the Lightning could get a young player who is coming off his best season. Dubois set a career-high for points (63 points in 73 games) and threatened to eclipse 30 goals for the first time in each of the past two seasons. During his six-year NHL career, the former third-round draft pick has eclipsed 60 points three times and has been an effective net-front option on the Jets’ power-play unit. He is also a bruising power forward who is known for making his presence felt in a game, a skillset that the Lightning like to have on their roster.
Other Trade Targets
Whether through a deal with Dubois or in a separate deal, the Jets also have other options on their roster that could help the Lightning. One such player is David Gustafsson, who is a solid bottom-six forward that would only cost the Lightning $775,000 next season before becoming an RFA. The former second-round draft pick does not put up big offensive numbers, but he brings to a team a player who is a good distributor of the puck, a relentless forechecker, and someone who can take care of the puck in transition.
RFA Morgan Barron could be an option as a bottom-six contributor that would probably cost the Lightning about $1 million. The former New York Rangers draft pick picked up some notoriety recently when he received 75 stitches after taking a skate to the face during a first-round playoff game against the Vegas Golden Knights but returning to the ice a period later. Kevin Stenlund is another RFA that has value as an inexpensive bottom-six forward who is very effective on the penalty kill and has experience as a net-front presence on the power play.
Over the course of the past few years, the Lightning have lost important members due to salary cap restrictions. Ondrej Palat, Ryan McDonagh, Yanni Gourde, Tyler Johnson, and Barclay Goodrow were such players lost via trades, free agency, and the 2021 Expansion Draft. The same thing is going to happen this year. Whether they lose Alex Killorn to free agency or find a suitable trade partner, like the Jets, to make a deal that will allow them to stay under the cap while maintaining a team that can make another run at a Stanley Cup title, they will lose someone.
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