With the Vegas Golden Knights claiming their first Stanley Cup in franchise history on Tuesday night, the 2022-23 NHL offseason has officially begun. As the draft hype, free agency speculation, and trade talks heat up, one of the teams at the center of the offseason will likely be the Winnipeg Jets and star Pierre-Luc Dubois.

After a hot start to the season, the Jets declined down the stretch before losing their first-round series against the Golden Knights in five games. Their playoff exit was even uglier than it first appears, as head coach Rick Bowness slammed his team for a lack of effort. Following this defeat, trade rumors became coming out in full force about some of the Jets' top players. Connor Hellebuyck, Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, and Pierre-Luc Dubois, our subject today, have all appeared in trade talks recently.

Actually, Dubois has been in trade talks for quite a while now. The No. 3 pick in 2016 has reportedly wanted out of Winnipeg since last offseason, if not earlier. With Dubois now formally requesting a trade, his departure appears all but inevitable.

The 24-year-old Dubois should attract a lot of interest in the trade market. He's still young, and at 6-4 and 218 pounds, posses a solid mix of size and skill. However, he has also received criticism for his lack of drive at certain points, particularly his infamous final game with the Columbus Blue Jackets in January 2021.

All in all, Dubois is a bit of a wild card with a very high ceiling, but also a very low floor. But what teams may look to acquire the former top pick? Let's find out when we rank the three best trade destinations for Pierre-Luc Dubois this offseason.

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3. Minnesota Wild

There are quite a few snags with this idea, so let's get those out of the way first. First off, the Jets have to be comfortable trading Dubois within the division, and they could easily not be. Minnesota may not be fully comfortable with the deal either, as it'd have to give up some valuable pieces.

The Wild are also badly hurting for cap space thanks to the buyout penalties for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter approaching $15 million for the next two seasons, and RFA goalie Filip Gustavsson is due a big raise. Bringing in Pierre-Luc Dubois at his current cap hit of $6 million would already be tough, but he's an RFA and could easily get a raise on his next deal.

If they can work through all that, though, then Dubois could help the Wild greatly. Minnesota has been missing a true top center for quite some time now. Joel Eriksson Ek is a great player, but he leans more into his defensive game than other top centers (which isn't a bad thing, to be clear). Adding Dubois down the middle would give Minnesota a more offensively-minded top center, which should only benefit star winger Kirill Kaprizov.

There are obviously a lot of holes in this fit, but there's some serious potential as well.

2. Carolina Hurricanes

If there's one thing that the Hurricanes sweep at the hands of the Florida Panthers proves, it's that they need more firepower. Despite getting far more shots than their opponent, the Hurricanes couldn't solve the Panthers' defense or Sergei Bobrovsky. The lackluster scoring was a problem throughout the season, but it was especially apparent in the Eastern Conference Final.

Adding Dubois could go a long way toward solving the issue. He would slot in naturally as the No. 2 center behind Sebastian Aho, instantly giving the Hurricanes them more depth and offensive punch up front.

The big problem with this scenario is how much work Carolina has to do with its existing roster. Many of the Hurricanes' key players including Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, Martin Necas, Seth Jarvis, and Brett Pesce are entering the final year of their deals. They also only have one goalie signed next season in Pyotr Kochetkov, with Frederik Anderson and Antti Raanta both hitting the market. While the Hurricanes appear to have plenty of cap space now (over $24 million) that will disappear fast.

Acquiring Pierre-Luc Dubois is also risky given his history. He's already asked out with two teams, and he may not view Carolina as a long-term option either. If he's willing to plant his roots, though, this fit could work out well.

1. Montreal Canadiens

If you've been following Dubois at all over the past year, you saw this coming a mile away. The Quebec native and Montreal have been linked for a while, and it's abundantly clear that's where he wants to be. The Habs know the interest is there, it just comes down to whether or not they reciprocate.

Montreal has been near the bottom of the league since their surprising playoff run in 2021. It's not entirely the Habs' fault, as they've had truly horrendous injury luck the last two seasons. However, it's clear that this is a team in the midst of a rebuild. If they want to speed up that rebuild, though, acquiring Dubois would help.

The Habs would also have plenty of picks and prospects to offer the Jets, so getting a deal done shouldn't be too hard. They also know that Dubois would be willing to sign a long-term deal, which is another huge plus. For all the rumors over the last year, it only makes sense that Montreal is the best fit for Dubois.