Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen calls out Dubois, “I wish that Pierre-Luc would tell the truth about why he wanted out”
Anthony Scultore
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It looks like there’s still a little drama left in Columbus over the Pierre-Luc Dubois situation.
This weekend, the Blue Jackets and the Jets completed a blockbuster by swapping disgruntled stars. To Winnipeg Dubois and a third round pick, while Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic head to Columbus.
Pierre-Luc Dubois on why he left
In an interview with Ron MacLean, Dubois finally gave some insights as to why he wanted out.
“It was a process. I was thinking about it a long time, it wasn’t overnight, it wasn’t I just woke up one morning and it was a decision to make,” Dubois answered. “It was something I thought about, and as negotiations were going, you obviously don’t take anything personally, but as they go longer and longer, you kind of start to think about stuff and situations.”
“At some point I thought…that if it was a longer deal I would’ve wanted [a trade] to happen.”
Jackets GM calls out Dubois
“That’s just flat out not true at all and he knows that, so I don’t know why he would say that or even insinuate something like that,” Jarmo Kekalainen said on TSN Radio today.
“It took all in all, I think 10 minutes to do his contract when we finally agreed on the length of the deal and we had everything from two years, to three years to eight years on the table. First, we didn’t really talk about it, that’s how Pat Brisson conducts his business, I have the upmost respect for him as a professional and how he handled the negotiations.”
Whoa.
Let’s face it, Kekalainen isn’t happy with the way Dubois not only handled his trade demand, he’s even more displeased with how he’s handling the departure.
“There was never any problem with the negotiation of this contract, it came to a conclusion very quickly and I thought what we signed was a fair deal for both sides,” he explained.
“There was nothing about these negotiations and I wish that Pierre-Luc would tell the truth about why he wanted out. He hasn’t even told me; he hasn’t told his teammates or anybody else. It certainly wasn’t about contract negotiations; I can assure you of that.”
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