The Winnipeg Jets have placed forward Pierre-Luc Dubois on their injured reserve list. He will be unavailable until Friday at the earliest. Dubois last played in the team’s win over the Ottawa Senators on February 11th. Sportsnet provided the update Wednesday afternoon.
The Jets have retroactively placed forward Pierre-Luc Dubois on IR due to a lower-body injury and he is eligible to return as early as Friday.https://t.co/4WAugIkImG
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 17, 2021
Jets Place Pierre-Luc Dubois on Injured Reserve
Dubois has not had the season he envisioned through the first weeks of 2020-21. He has just one goal in seven games while battling injuries and an early trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets to Winnipeg. The unevenness of the season has resulted in some odd numbers. Dubois posted a 51.5 percent Corsi For and 5.9 relative Corsi prior to the trade, but a 31.6 percent Corsi For with a -11.1 relative score afterwards. There is simply too little data to evaluate what the Quebec native will do when he returns to the ice.
The Blue Jackets originally drafted Dubois third overall in the 2016 Draft and watched as he immediately became a key part of the team’s success. He scored 20 goals and 48 points in 82 games as a rookie while receiving votes for the Calder Trophy in 2017-18. Production ballooned to 27 goals and 61 points in 2018-19 at just 20-years-old. However, potential conflicts with Columbus head coach John Tortorella resulted in a trade earlier this year. Columbus swapped Dubois for Jets forwards Jack Roslovic and Patrik Laine.
How Winnipeg Replaces Dubois
The Jets will roll with a group similar to the one that took the ice in their last two games. Several players have moved up on line on the depth chart with Kristian Vesalainen grabbing some minutes on the fourth line. It’s possible that David Gustafsson makes an appearance as well. There isn’t much the team needs to do to cover up Dubois’ absence until it is clear if he can return Friday. Winnipeg has been very good without him as Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers are among the league-leaders in scoring. Adding the injured skater only makes a dangerous team stronger.
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