Pierre-Luc Dubois’ stint as a NHLer was brief.
On Wednesday, the Jackets did as expected and returned Dubois -- the No. 3 overall pick at this year’s draft -- to his junior club in QMJHL Cape Breton.
Yesterday, some eyebrows were raised when Dubois was listed on Columbus’ opening-night roster, only for various outlets to report the move was purely salary cap related. Alex Wennberg, who was sent down to AHL Lake Erie on Tuesday, has since been recalled and will be available for selection when the Jackets take on the Boston in their season-opener tomorrow.
Dubois, 18, was always a longshot to make the Blue Jackets this year, even though he liked his chances. Some of that could’ve been posturing, as Kekalainen and the Jackets surprised many by taking Dubois at the draft ahead of Jesse Puljujarvi, the talented Finnish winger who will make his NHL debut tonight for Edmonton.
At 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds, Dubois has NHL size and should be in line for a monster season with the Screaming Eagles. He had 42 goals and 99 points in just 62 games last year.