The Seth Jones extension was the big news of the morning in Columbus, but according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Blue Jackets have also signed Pierre-Luc Dubois to a three-year, entry-level contract. (It won’t be official until Friday.)
You might have heard that Dubois was drafted third overall on Friday, ahead of Finnish winger Jesse Puljujarvi. (Pretty big story that day.)
Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen has since told reporters that the 18-year-old forward has a “very good chance to compete for a spot on our team” next season.
Dubois, who believes he can be a “first-line center in the NHL” (and Columbus could use one of those, after trading Ryan Johansen for Jones) said Friday that he was confident the Jackets didn’t make a mistake by choosing him over Puljujarvi.
“Jesse is a really good player,” said Dubois. “Pretty much every guy in this draft is a really good player, but I’ve gained 40 pounds the past two years. I think my ceiling, my potential is still far away, so I have a lot to develop. I think over the next couple of years -- that’s what I told every team -- the next couple of years, I think now everybody is talking about the two Finns and Matthews No. 1, 2, 3, but in the next couple of years, I think I’d be in that discussion, too. I think I developed later than others, but they draft you for what you’re going to be in your prime and not what you are right now.”
"(Dubois) has great potential to play center for us." #CBJ #NHLDrafthttps://t.co/UYP6G9ivbY
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) June 25, 2016