The drama between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Pierre-Luc Dubois appears to be heating up.
Head coach John Tortorella offered his thoughts on the situation Wednesday, saying Dubois spoke with his teammates about wanting to be traded out of Columbus but didn't make it clear why he wants to be moved.
"He wants out," Tortorella said on 97.1 The Fan's Rothman and Ice in Columbus. "(Dubois) hasn't given a reason why he wants to leave. He should get in front of it. That's the way I think you should go about your business, and be the best team you can be.
"He needs to continue to do the things to help this team win and be the best teammate he can be, or I'm not sure where it goes. It's a situation and we'll go to it day by day."
The Blue Jackets' No. 1 centre said that he doesn't want to be a distraction in the locker room.
"I'm going to be the best player I can be, the best teammate I can be (and) the best person I can be," Dubois told reporters about his trade request. "I don't want it to be a distraction, so I think that's the only way."
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman wrote in 31 Thoughts that the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets are among the pursuers for Dubois. The 22-year-old signed a two-year contract extension worth $10 million back on Dec. 31.
In 234 career games with the Blue Jackets, the third-overall pick from the 2016 NHL Draft has 65 goals and 158 points and 19 points in 26 career playoff games.
