Dubois' focus turns to ice after signing extension

Over the past few months, Jarmo Kekalainen's biggest fish to fry in preparing for the NHL season was to get center Pierre-Luc Dubois signed to a new contract.
The Blue Jackets general manager and the 22-year-old center handled that
earlier this week with the announcement
that Dubois, a restricted free agent, had signed a two-year, $10 million extension.
With that done, Dubois has arrived for training camp and will be on the ice when the Blue Jackets begin preparations Monday for the Jan. 14 season opener.

"I said all along through the whole process I am not worried at all," Kekalainen said Sunday as the Blue Jackets opened training camp. "Last year, we signed Zach Werenski three days before camp started, and it's the same agent. They all have their process; we have ours. Restricted free agents without arbitration rights, sometimes it can take a little time before you can agree.
"Actually, our negotiations went very smooth. It's just the timetable was what it was. As long as they don't miss any camp, I'm fine with it. I wasn't worried at all, I wasn't nervous about it, and it got done before the training camp started and that's the main thing."
Kekalainen said the Blue Jackets and Dubois' camp discussed two-, three- and eight-year deals, but in the end the agreement between the two sides was on the shorter bridge deal.
"Our goal was to get the contract done before camp," Dubois said. "We got that done. We looked at every possible scenario and we found that the two-year deal was the one that we (liked) the most ... so that's the route we went. I think both sides are happy with it."
Even though Dubois is signed, questions about his long-term future persist. Asked Sunday about reports he has requested a change of scenery, Dubois said simply, "Our goal was to get a contract before camp. The team, my agent and I have held private talks, and they will remain private throughout this."
Thus far, Dubois has been one of the key pieces for the Blue Jackets to build around since the team took him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 draft, behind only Toronto star Auston Matthews and Winnipeg's Patrik Laine.
Dubois has played in every game of his three-year CBJ career, totaling 65 goals and 93 assists for 158 points in 234 games. The 22-year-old fifth in his draft class to this point in goals and points, and he led Columbus a year ago with an 18-31-49 line in 70 games, then turned in a memorable postseason that included 10 points in 10 games and a hat trick in the qualifying series vs. Toronto.
"He's grown as a player a lot in the first three years here, and I think his best hockey was in the playoffs last year where he elevated his game to another level, and that's what we expect every game," Kekalainen said. "That's what comes with the role that he plays is that when you become a player in an important role like he has been as our first-line center, you expect him to rise to another level and lead the team every day, whether it's practice or the games.
"That's the responsibility of the star players in this league, and I think he has a few levels more to go to get to and to go to. He is a hard-working player, he works hard on the ice and off the ice to become a better player. We've always spoken highly of his potential, and it comes through hard work."
That, Dubois said, will never change.
"I'm going to be the best player I can be, the best teammate I can be, the best person I can be," Dubois said when asked if anything resulting from the contract negotiations will be a distraction going forward. "I don't want it to be a distraction, so I think that's the only way. I think if I go out there and I work hard in practice and have a good attitude, work hard in games, play well, I think it's not a distraction.
"If I don't do those things, it could become one, but I know the attitude I'm going to have. I'm going to work hard and I know I'm going to have a good attitude, be a good teammate, so I hope it's not a distraction."
The Blue Jackets over the past few years have been no stranger to dealing with off-ice intrigue. Although Dubois' situation is not the same, two years ago, star forward Artemi Panarin and longtime goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky each entered the season in the final years of their contracts, leading to persistent questions about their futures with the team.
Rather than tiptoe around the situation, head coach John Tortorella insisted the team discuss it in the open to make sure everyone was on the same page; the team ended up earning its first-ever playoff series win by sweeping favored Tampa Bay.
"We've had some interesting years," Tortorella said. "We're not going to overthink this. We're going to have a conversation. Everybody is going to understand where everybody stands, not only in Luc's situation but other situations as we enter camp. And then we're going to go about our business and get ready to play."
Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno echoed those words.
"I honestly don't focus too much on it," Foligno said of the talk around Dubois. "I think you know how we run things here. If you're here, you're committed to being here until we hear otherwise or are told otherwise. I think we've dealt with it in the past. We've obviously had situations. But it's also outside chatter that doesn't affect our room.
"We'll have our own conversations with Luc like any player and know that he's gonna ready to go. I know that he's excited to get back and get with the group."
With the new contract done, Dubois said he'll step on the ice Monday for his first practice of the preseason and be ready to go.
"I'm going to try to be the hardest working player out there, be the best teammate possible, be the best player possible," he said. "That will never change throughout my career. That doesn't change today or in the next couple of months."