CHN Sunday Links: Trade Rumors for Dubois Don’t Involve Avs

The Avs have sometimes been referred to as “Columbus West” because of all the former players (and coaches, including Jared Bednar) who spent time in the Blue Jackets organ-i-zation. But don’t expect the Avs to be involved in any potential trade talks involving disgruntled young Columbus center Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Dubois, the third overall pick in the 2016 draft, wants out of Columbus. He’s 22 and very talented. But he’s a center, and the Avs are well-stocked at center, now and into the foreseeable future. Nathan MacKinnon and Nazem Kadri are the top two centers right now, and Alex Newhook could theoretically be on the team by the playoffs.

Columbus right now is in the exact same position as Colorado was in 2017, when Matt Duchene requested a trade, yet kept playing with the team early into the 2017-18 season. Blue Jackets management has said it won’t be rushed into any deal. The Blue Jackets are off to an 0-2 start, and Dubois went scoreless and a minus-3 in those two games.

In other words, it could get ugly in C-Bus soon with coach John Tortorella having to coach a player who doesn’t want to be there and isn’t playing well.

Again, though, I don’t expect the Avs to be a bidder in any Dubois trade. Sure, he fights the template of the kind of guy the Avs like to acquire (ergo, young, with promise) but Columbus is going to want a king’s ransom for him no doubt. And we saw what happens when a team gives up too much for a player (hello Ottawa Senators and Nashville Predators, via the Duchene trade).

Some Sunday links:

• Basketball coach Rick Pitino weighed in on the Keith Yandle situation in Florida (Boston Hockey Now)
• San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau could be the new active NHL iron man leader if Yandle does indeed get scratched by the Florida Panthers in the near future. (The Mercury News)
• A sobering look here by Larry Brooks at the financial plight of some AHL players (NY Post)
• Steve Simmons asks: why don’t big-star NHL players go on to be broadcasters like other sports? (Toronto Sun)
• A look at how the Panthers plan to host some fans this season, in the building (Florida Hockey Now)
• Islanders coach Barry Trotz wasn’t at all happy with his team, at how goalie Semyon Varlamov was injured last night (NHL.com)