The second week of the NHL season is in the books and it was packed full of drama. Stay tuned as we break down what led to the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade, the Dallas Stars going undefeated throughout their first three games, and the recent resignation of the Pittsburgh Penguins general manger.
Pierre Luc-Dubois is Winnipeg Bound
Over the past few weeks, it’s no secret that center man Pierre-Luc Dubois has been on edge with coach John Tortorella, effecting his recent gameplay. This was painfully evident in the Columbus Blue Jackets vs Tampa Bay Lightning game, where Dubois saw 3:55 minutes of ice time in the first period before being benched the rest of the game.
Many think this was due to his lethargic last shift, but many know that Dubois and Tortorella have been at each other’s throats for a while now and Dubois wanted out as quickly as possible. Dubois got his wish in the following blockbuster trade:
The Columbus Blue Jackets trade Pierre-Luc Dubois and their 2022 3rd round pick in exchange for the Winnipeg Jets’ Patrik Laine and Jack Rosolvic.
This trade fills gaps that both teams need respectively, but all the talk isn’t the typical “who won the trade”; everyone is focused in on Pierre-Luc Dubois and what led him to desperately want out of Columbus.
It was reported that prior to this trade, coach John Tortorella told the Blue Jackets staff and players to ignore Dubois and act as though he wasn’t apart of the team. It’s also been noted that Tortorella mistreated Dubois throughout his time in Columbus, screaming at him on the bench and belittling him/his gameplay in front of teammates. Tortorella is known for being more on the hostile side, as evident in many of his post game interviews, so this news of possible mistreatment is not surprising.
The only comments to come from Dubois state that this was a process and had nothing to do with his teammates or Tortorella. This may be true, but everything surrounding this trade in regards to the rumors appear to be suspicious.
Both Dubois and Laine won’t be with their new teams for a few weeks as both are required to quarantine upon their arrival to their respective countries.
Dallas Stars Remain Undefeated
After having to reschedule their first week and half worth of games, the Dallas Stars finally managed to get out on the ice and go 3-0-0 in the process. They had their games rescheduled due to a COVID-19 outbreak among many of the players and staff.
In their season opener, the Stars defeated the Nashville Predators 7-0 and went on to defeat them again two nights later. They then secured a win in overtime against the Detroit Redwings, putting them second in the Central Division despite only having played three games. They currently sit first in the league for the power play percentage (56.2%) and second on the penalty kill (91.7%).
Joe Pavelski currently leads the team in points (8) as he has three goals and five assists throughout the first five games. The Stars are set to play the Detroit Redwings again on January 28th.
Pittsburgh Penguins GM Resigns
Congratulations to Pittsburgh Penguins fans everywhere, you finally got what you’ve been wishing for: general manager Jim Rutherford has resigned. While Rutherford cites that it’s due to personal reasons, Penguins fans are happy to finally see him go.
He’s made many questionable trades recently that faced quite the backlash, most notable the trade that involved Kasperi Kapanen. Back in the offseason, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded Kapanen, Pontus Aberg and Jesperi Lindgren to the Pittsburgh Penguins for their 2020 first-round pick, Evan Rodrigues, Filip Hallander, and David Warsofsky. Many fans criticized Rutherford after this and collectively decided it was time for him to go.
Rutherford joined the Penguins in the 2014-2015 season, leading them to back to back Stanley Cup Championships in 2016 and 2017. Colleagues around him state that there was no singular reason for Rutherford resigning, but a great deal of events that ultimately led to this decision.
Patrik Allvin will temporary fill in as general manager until the Penguins find a replacement.
It’s certainly been a hectic week for the NHL between blockbuster trades, teams staying undefeated, and iconic general managers resigning from their team. Will we see more trades in the weeks to come? Will the Dallas Stars continue their streak and remain undefeated? Stay tuned here at NHL Top Three and we’ll tell you all about it!
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