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CRACKS OF DON: Jets didn't get enough for a guy who could be the next Teemu

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No big, tough, young hockey player wants to admit he can’t handle the public humiliation and berating of a 5-foot-6, 62-year-old, even if the roaring mouth belongs to the often-intimidating John Tortorella.

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So Pierre-Luc Dubois denied that he wanted out of Columbus — only months after moving into a big new house he had built — because of his coach.

“It wasn’t always easy, but you have to appreciate the honesty, you have to appreciate he was trying to make me a better player, make me a better person,” Dubois told Ron MacLean on Hockey Night In Canada when asked if Tortorella ignited his trade requests.

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“I know for some people, that’s the reason, but it’s not. He was a hard coach and I can take it. Nothing’s personal. I grew up (with) a dad coach, and he told me if a coach challenges you, it’s never personal, he just wants what’s best for you.

“That’s how I see Torts. I have nothing but respect for him.”

Instead, after saying he wasn’t “going into detail” about his motives, Dubois discreetly nodded blame towards GM Jarmo Kekalainen and the length of time it took for the sides to iron out a two-year bridge deal worth $10 million.

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That’s when Kekalainen took exception.

“That’s just flat out not true at all and he knows that, so I don’t know why he would say that or even insinuate something like that,” Kekalianen said Monday on TSN Radio, per The Daily Goal Horn. “It took all in all, I think 10 minutes to do his contract when we finally agreed on the length of the deal, and we had everything from two years to three years to eight years on the table. There was never any problem with the negotiation of this contract. It came to a conclusion very quickly and I thought what we signed was a fair deal for both sides.

“I wish that Pierre-Luc would tell the truth about why he wanted out. He hasn’t even told me, he hasn’t told his teammates or anybody else. It certainly wasn’t about contract negotiations, I can assure you of that.”

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At the end of the day, the Blue Jackets made out just fine. They won the trade.

Dubois is a large, talented centre — and those are extremely hard to come by. But while he was moved with a third round pick that is more likely to miss than stick, the Jets had to part with Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic, another former first-rounder who has already proven he can play in the NHL and should thrive in his hometown of Columbus.

That Winnipeg also retains 26 per cent of Laine’s salary seems like a typo.

No matter what the return, you’d think the Jets would have learned their lesson about trading electrifying, high-scoring Finnish wingers from a deal they made with Anaheim almost 25 years ago to the day.

For Teemu Selanne, the rights to third-line centre Marc Chouinard and a fourth round pick that was eventually traded to Toronto for tough-guy Ken Baumgartner, the Jets received former second overall pick Oleg Tverdovsky (a good defenceman who was traded back to Anaheim three years later), former fourth overall pick Chad Kilger (who in 12 seasons with six teams only hit double digits in goals four times) and a third round pick that never played in the NHL.

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In 15 seasons with Anaheim, Selanne established himself as the franchise’s greatest player and led the team to its one and only Stanley Cup in 2007.

Yup, Dubois is a good one, but the Jets didn’t get enough for a guy who could very well be the next Teemu.

FROM THE DOTS

The Bruins could get star David Pastrnak back in the lineup as soon as Saturday. That would make his return from the right hip arthroscopy and labral repair done on Sept. 16 at least three weeks sooner than originally expected. “It’s been a long road and a long time,” said Pastrnak, who wore a full-contact jersey at practice Monday for the first time. “I’m obviously itching to get out there.” The Bruins host the Penguins on Tuesday and Thursday before travelling to Washington for a game Saturday. “He took contact, which was the next step in his progression, so we’ll see how he handles that,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy. “I don’t suspect he’ll play any of these home games, but probably will travel with us and we’ll see from there. If he wakes up and doesn’t feel any after effects, we’ll consider putting him in the lineup.”

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LINE CHANGES

Things are looking up for the Hurricanes, who practiced Monday for the first time since five players were placed on the COVID-19 protocol on Jan. 19. While Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning has been postponed until Feb. 22, there’s hope Thursday’s game between the teams can be played … The Chicago Blackhawks have placed LW Alex DeBrincat and D Adam Boqvist on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list. They’ll be keeping their distance from the team until they are cleared … Mikko Rantanen has scored a goal in each of Colorado’s past five games.

ON ANOTHER NOTE

While Connor McDavid and former Ottawa 67’s Travis Konecny and Tyler Toffoli had the first three hattricks of the season, the fourth was registered Sunday by Blackhawks C Pius Suter. Who? The undrafted 5-foot-9, 176-pounder spent two seasons (2013-2015) with the Guelph Storm then went home to play for Zurich SC in the Swiss A league. The ’trick came in his sixth game of pro hockey in North America.

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REMEMBERING THIS DATE

Raise a glass today for the Great One. Wayne Gretzky is now 60 … Exactly 96 years ago, Paul Newman (aka the swashbuckling Reggie Dunlop in the classic hockey movie Slap Shot) was born in Cleveland. Newman died in 2008 … Dying on this day — along with baseball inventor Abner Doubleday (1893), basketball great Kobe Bryant (one year ago) and legendary Alabama football coach Paul (Bear) Bryant (1983) — was the great Lorne John (Gump) Worsley, of a heart attack at the age of 77. At 5-foot-7, Worsley is recognized as one of the shortest goalies to ever play in the NHL. He’s also 12th on the all-time list of most games played by a NHL goalie with 861, with Marc-Andre Fleury (851) closing in.

dbrennan@postmedia.com

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