"How do you communicate with the guy? How do you tell them you want the puck here? It was tough. "It's hard when you don't know the person," the 24-year-old continued. "All these questions (at the NHL/NHLPA media event) are like, 'Which teammate does this? Which does that?'Īnd he's convinced that lack of understanding translated to the ice. There were no dinners with the guys, no shows or shopping trips on the road, no bonding over beers, no roars from the home crowd. Having already requested a trade out of Columbus, things then came to a head once the season started during a January game when he was stapled to the bench for more than two periods by John Tortorella, who felt the player wasn't putting in the appropriate work rate.ĭubois was subsequently dealt to Winnipeg for Patrick Laine and Jack Rosolvic two days later in a swap that also saw the Jets receive a 2022 third-round pick.īut instead of immediately hitting the ice and getting to know his new teammates, what was waiting for him once he crossed the border was another two-week quarantine - this one mandated by the Canadian government - at a Winnipeg hotel.Īnd even when those 14 days of solitude were over, Dubois wasn't able to really get to know the Jets because of COVID-19 restrictions. He wasn't in his usual physical shape upon returning to Ohio last fall to continue preparations for the shortened schedule before quarantining when a COVID-19 outbreak swept through the Blue Jackets' locker room. "I'm back to my normal self."Īfter a standout performance for the Columbus Blue Jackets inside the NHL's post-season bubble two summers ago, Dubois had trouble training and finding ice time back home in Montreal because of coronavirus restrictions. "Finally the mask's off," Dubois added at last week's NHL/NHLPA media tour. 3 pick at the 2016 NHL draft is convinced this season will be different. Now rested and rejuvenated following a summer that resembled something more typical, the No.
"I didn't feel like myself," he explained. But it's his truth looking back on a trying season that drained him both physically and mentally. Forced to navigate multiple quarantines, a highly publicized run-in with his former coach, a blockbuster trade, injuries and loneliness - the Winnipeg Jets centre was never comfortable during a roller-coaster 2020-21 campaign set against the COVID-19 pandemic's backdrop.Īnd Dubois knows full-well that long list will come off as one massive excuse to some.
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