It’s finally over. After nearly a year of getting strung along, Pierre-Luc Dubois has been traded to the Los Angeles Kings. In return, the Winnipeg Jets received Gabe Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, and Montreal’s second-rounder in 2024. Dubois also signed an eight-year deal worth $8.5 million per year to complete the sign-and-trade.
Related: Grading Kings’ Blockbuster Trade for Pierre-Luc Dubois
The Kings get a productive center to play behind captain Anze Kopitar, who’s in the last year of his massive 10-year contract. Knowing their history, Kopitar will most likely be back on the last contract of his career. The addition of Dubois has the opportunity to make the Kings a formidable contender in the West.
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff got a sizable return for the disgruntled forward in part one of his “Offseason of Fun.” Winnipeg is in the beginning stages of its retooling. Cheveldayoff has no intentions of fully rebuilding, and this trade helps that line of thinking. All three pieces can play now and help change the culture in the locker room – something that is desperately needed.
Let’s take a more in-depth look at just who the Jets are acquiring:
Gabe Vilardi
Probably the most important acquisition for Winnipeg; a 23-year-old center and a former first-rounder with a whole lot of upside. Last season, he broke out with career highs across the board scoring 23 goals, 18 assists, and 41 points. Not only that, but he nabbed two goals and two assists in five games during the playoffs (including a controversial overtime winner).
What Vilardi brings to the table is his size and elite two-way abilities. He has phenomenal puck skills, won’t hesitate to shoot the puck, and possesses a strong understanding of the defensive end. Jets fans should be very excited by the potential Vilardi brings. The next order of business is to get an extension in place. He’s currently a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, so the sooner it gets done, the better.
The only concern about bringing Vilardi aboard is his injury history. He’s such a valuable piece with all the talent in the world, but his lack of availability in his four-year professional career is a bit of a concern. Recently, he suffered an injury in late March that kept him out for the rest of the regular season, but he returned for Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs. The hope for him, though, is that his durability is improving. Despite the late-season injury, he suited up for 127 games (including half of a season in the American Hockey League – AHL) these past two seasons.
Alex Iafallo
Alex Iafallo is a valuable defense-first middle-six winger who does a wonderful job at drawing penalties. In the past five seasons, he’s consistently registered 10-plus goals and over 30 points. The University of Minnesota alum spent most of his time on the second line to the right of Philip Danault and was a legitimate scorer for Los Angeles during the playoffs, scoring three goals this past year.
What shouldn’t get overlooked is the leadership he brings. On two separate occasions he’s worn an ‘A’ on his jersey (replacing an injured Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty), a highlight that he viewed as an honor. With all the rumors circling around about the Jets’ locker room issues, a player like Iafallo will be a welcoming sight. His teammates and coaches in Los Angeles valued him enough to consider him a leader in the locker room. In order for the culture to change in Winnipeg, you need high-character individuals, and Iafallo is at the top of the list.
Rasmus Kupari
Kupari’s addition is simply Cheveldayoff taking a chance on a young player. The 23-year-old center is another former first-rounder who was drafted back in 2018 and hasn’t hit his stride yet offensively. In 130 career NHL games, he has registered only nine goals and 29 points as well as 40 points in 58 AHL games.
What will mostly stand out is his physicality and defensive play. He’s drastically improved his faceoff numbers from 42 percent in 2022 to 55 percent in 2023. Even if he doesn’t eventually become more of an offensive force, something that was expected of him when he was drafted, Kupari’s addition to this Jets roster will be welcomed with open arms. A big fourth-line center who can skate like the wind, win faceoffs, kill penalties and knock opponents on their backs? Sounds like a win-win for both parties here.
Moving on From Dubois
The Dubois era in Winnipeg was a short but ugly one. Upon his arrival, there was some hope around the organization that the center position would be solidified for years to come. Rather quickly, Dubois and his agent Pat Brisson squashed those dreams.
For his two and a half years here, it seemed like he had one foot out the door already. The only reason he suited up for the Jets was because he had no choice, and he’d be taking a big risk by holding out.
Dubois did give his all, though, and that should be acknowledged. After his notorious final shift in Columbus, he instantly created a reputation that he will only do things on his terms. But in his stint in Winnipeg, he didn’t take any shortcuts and created a lot of havoc for opponents.
Regardless of how he played, he’s probably going to get booed at Canada Life Centre for the rest of his career. His time in Winnipeg left a sour taste in a lot of people’s mouths, and they’ll let him know about it. The Kings will visit Winnipeg on Oct. 17, so Jets fans will let him know exactly how they feel early on.
A New Era
A lot of complaints coming from fans is that the Jets forwards were very poor defensively. Most notably, Mark Scheifele and Dubois both caught a ton of flak for lolly-gagging in the defensive end and then only turning on the jets (pun intended) once the puck was going the other way.
Related: Winnipeg Jets Need a Culture Overhaul
Make no mistake, this trade makes the Jets infinitely better in the defensive end. All three players can hold their own defensively and can chip in goals when needed. Vilardi especially has an extremely high ceiling and barring health will become a fan favorite in Manitoba.
It’s the beginning of a new era. With reports of Blake Wheeler possibly getting bought out, as well as Connor Hellebuyck and Scheifele’s uncertain future, there’s still a lot of work to be done. Perhaps with this new era, we’ll now see that pushback that Rick Bowness was looking for.
