WINNIPEG – Pierre-Luc Dubois ultimately got his wish as the first domino has finally fallen for the Winnipeg Jets.
The Jets and Los Angeles Kings completed a complex deal on Tuesday that has Dubois heading to Hollywood, with forwards Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari among the pieces heading to the Prairies along with a second-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Dubois also signed an eight-year contract extension with the Jets worth $68 million ($8.5 million AAV) before the sign-and-trade deal was finalized.
Vilardi is clearly the centrepiece of the trade, as the 11th-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.
He turns 24 in August and is coming off a career season (23 goals, 41 points in 63 games).
Vilardi, a restricted free agent, has a heavy shot, is strong on his stick and values the difficult parts of the game.
About the only thing holding him back early in his career has been a series of injuries, including a back problem that was considered to be serious.
Vilardi, who is 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, has played some centre but he’s been used mostly as a right-winger and that’s probably the best position for him, so the Jets are still going to be in the market for at least one man in the middle via trade or when free agency opens on July 1.
This trade could also leave open the door for Mark Scheifele to remain with the Jets and potentially, to start the season – though that situation remains in flux and could depend on the offers received during the coming days.
Iafallo, 29, was an undrafted free agent who signed with the Kings after spending four seasons with the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs and has 420 NHL games on his resume to go with another 16 during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Jets would be familiar with Iafallo from his time with the Bulldogs, especially in 2016-17, when his teammates included Neal Pionk, Dominic Toninato and Karson Kuhlman.
Iafallo is under contract for two more seasons at $4 million and while he’s been viewed by some as a salary-cap throw-in, he’s a high-character player who can provide some complementary scoring for a team that needs some, having recorded 85 goals and 205 points in his NHL career while adding five goals and nine points in 16 playoff games.
Kupari, who is also a restricted free agent who just finished his entry-level contract, was chosen 20th overall of the 2018 NHL Draft and has 130 NHL games on his resume at the age of 23.
A right-handed shot who can play centre or wing, Kupari hasn’t found his offensive touch at the pro level but brings some size (6-foot-2, 200 pounds), is a strong skater who kills penalties and could benefit from an increase in ice time and opportunity.
Although he wasn’t included in the trade, the Jets figure to be interested in making a pitch to pending unrestricted free agent netminder Joonas Korpirsalo on July 1, especially if they come to the conclusion that they need to move goalie Connor Hellebuyck before he becomes a UFA next summer.
As of this moment, the door appears to be open for both Hellebuyck and Scheifele to open the season with the Jets, though that could change with one phone call that includes a substantial offer.
This deal brings to an end the Dubois era in Winnipeg and in an interesting turn of events, the conclusion didn’t come with him joining the team in his home province, the Montreal Canadiens.
The mutual interest was obvious, though the Canadiens offers were believed to be focused more on future elements in the trade discussions, which didn’t fit with the direction the Jets were trying to go.
History will undoubtedly show that the Jets blockbuster with the Columbus Blue Jackets didn’t work out the way general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff intended.
Moving out 2016 second-overall pick Patrik Laine and 2015 first-rounder Jack Roslovic for three seasons of Dubois – two of which were very good and one of which was injury-filled – ends up being a swing and a miss because of the long-range ramifications.
Although Dubios provided consecutive campaigns of 60-plus points and demonstrated plenty of growth as a player, the Jets team success was limited to only five playoff wins (one series win) in three series during his tenure, a low number when you consider the lofty expectations that accompanied his arrival.
That’s not a reflection on the impact of Dubois, who was a point-per-game guy for parts of the past two seasons before his production tailed off down the stretch.
Dubois, who turned 25 on Saturday, has yet to reach his full potential and the Kings offer an opportunity for him to continue to be a two-way force who will be heavily relied upon in a division that features the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights and an Edmonton Oilers squad looking to take the next step.
Even with Laine dealing with some injury issues of his own and not reaching the levels of production during his first four seasons with the Jets, he still managed to deliver 48 goals and 106 points during the past two seasons with the Blue Jackets (and 58 goals and 129 points in 156 games).
Plus, he signed a four-year contract extension ($8.7 million AAV) last July with the Blue Jackets, which was a win in itself for GM Jarmo Kekalainen.
Roslovic wasn’t going to play another game for the Jets, though the bigger issue there was a reluctance to move him prior to reaching the point of no return when a bigger return was available.
Look no further than the Colorado Avalanche dealing Alex Newhook to the Montreal Canadiens for a late first-rounder and early second-rounder in the 2023 NHL Draft.
If it had been a straight up swap of Dubois for Laine, two players looking for a change of scenery, it was worth it for Cheveldayoff to take the shot, but ultimately the blockbuster trade didn’t yield the expected rewards.
And it could have been avoided, though that part of the story doesn’t need to be revisited in this space at this time.
Dubois was supposed to be a foundational pillar, someone who would sign a long-term deal and eventually take over as the No. 1 centre, a role he played on occasion last season.
With Dubois unwilling to stick around beyond this past season, the Jets were forced to pivot to extracting the best package for him.
Whether the Canadiens weren’t willing to meet the Jets asking price or were banking on him signing as a UFA next summer is now irrelevant, as Dubois will join a Kings team that took a step forward in each of the past two seasons but was ultimately bounced from the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Oilers.
Dubois joins a team that features captain Anze Kopitar under contract for one more season at $10 million and Phillip Danault carrying an AAV of $5.5 million for four more seasons.
The Kings window to win should be wider with the arrival of Dubois to augment a talented roster.
Now that he’s being paid like a true No. 1 centre, whether or not Dubois blossoms into someone who produces in the 70-to-80 point range is the next question to be answered, though his value as a shift disturber stretches well beyond the traditional boxcar stats.
As for the Jets, this could be the first of several major moves in their offseason makeover.
With former captain Blake Wheeler expected to be bought out in the near future, the discussion will quickly shift to the future of Hellebuyck and Scheifele.
Since the Jets are trying to retool on the fly, they could opt to open the season with Scheifele on the roster as the No. 1 centre, the idea being that his value could rise as things move along – or an extension could be offered at some point.
Should Vladislav Namestnikov agree to a contract extension either before or after July 1, the Jets would probably feel much better about their centre depth going into the campaign.
Moving on from Hellebuyck would leave a massive hole, but the risk is potentially losing him at the end of the season for nothing if he’s not interested in signing an extension.
The Jets also need to address the glut of defencemen and change the mix of the defence corps.
In trading Dubois to the Kings, Cheveldayoff appears to have made the most of a difficult situation.
When it appeared Cheveldayoff had very little leverage, given the limited of teams Dubois had interest in having a future with, he was able to make a trade for a blossoming young(ish) forward with four seasons of team control in Vilardi and two other useful forwards in Iafallo and Kupari.
That will be considered to be a win, even if it doesn’t erase the departure of Laine.
Vilardi has battled injuries throughout the early stages of his professional career and is likely going to need to sign a two-year bridge deal to fully determine his value.
That would also allow him the opportunity to get a feel for his place in the organization, as someone who could soon be part of a leadership core that will be shepherding in a prospect pool of forwards that includes Rutger McGroarty, Brad Lambert, Chaz Lucius and Nikita Chibrikov.
This is not a time for victory laps though, as Cheveldayoff will need to be creative in making further trades or by convincing other quality players in free agency to join a team he hopes can remain in the playoff picture next season.
The Jets roster could look dramatically different this fall and this was an important – and necessary – step in that process.
