Columbus Blue Jackets: Dubois Proves He Was the Right Pick, Again
By William Espy
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois is continuing to prove he deserved the third overall pick.
When the Columbus Blue Jackets drafted Pierre-Luc Dubois third overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, many fans thought Jarmo Kekalainen had passed on a generational player in Jesse Puljujarvi. While he may be a generational bust, Puljujarvi has been far from a generational player.
With the recent news that Puljujarvi is being sent back to the AHL, while Pierre-Luc Dubois continues to center the Columbus Blue Jackets’ top line, it seems more and more like Kekalainen made the right pick.
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Through his first three professional seasons in North America, Puljujarvi only has 29 points in 104 NHL games and has spent a lot of time in the AHL. On the other side of the coin, Pierre-Luc Dubois has played five less NHL games, and has 31 more points, as a center which only adds to his value.
Pierre-Luc Dubois has certainly benefited from playing with Artemi Panarin, however Puljujarvi has had opportunities to play with players who are just as skilled.
Their stats so far through this season couldn’t be more different. Puljujarvi has only a single point in the NHL this season, which was a goal. Meanwhile in Columbus, Dubois has put up seven goals, tying him for the team lead, and five assists for a total of twelve points.
Dubois is also succeeding in the face-off circle for the most part, with a faceoff percentage of roughly 47% to start the year.
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While it’s too early to say that Jesse Puljujarvi won’t have a great NHL career, the fact that Pierre-Luc Dubois got his career started sooner and at a better pace gives him the advantage at least for now. Ten years from now we might have different perspectives on this draft class, however in 2018 Dubois was the right pick.