Dubois doesn't want his situation to distract Blue Jackets

Pierre-Luc Dubois declined to confirm his apparent desire to be traded when asked about it Sunday, but the Columbus Blue Jackets forward said he hopes the situation doesn't linger in the dressing room.

"I'm going to be the best player I can be, the best teammate I can be, (and) the best person I can be," Dubois told reporters. "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 practices, have a good attitude, work hard in games, (and) play well, I think it's not a distraction. It's if I don't do those things that it could become (one), but I know the attitude I'm going to have. I know that I'm going to work hard, and I know I'm going to have a good attitude and be a good teammate. So I hope it's not a distraction."

The 22-year-old, who was a restricted free agent, signed a two-year, $10-million extension with Columbus on Thursday. Soon afterward, it was reported his camp preferred a short-term deal to give general manager Jarmo Kekalainen time to trade him and that the relationship between Dubois and the team soured during the recently concluded talks.

Dubois didn't directly respond when asked to elaborate on the report, instead repeatedly stating the negotiations "will remain private."

Meanwhile, Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella revealed Sunday that he hasn't spoken to Dubois, but they plan to deal with the situation as a team.

"I think it's important that it belongs in the room where everybody's involved with it and understanding what's going on," Tortorella said. " ... Not only this situation but others as the year goes on, we talk about it as men, and we talk about it in a group setting."

Tortorella added that he's focusing on the players who are committed to remaining with the club.

"I'm not disappointed. I am going to ... put time into the people that want to be here. This isn't new for us .... We're not going to overthink this. We're going to have a conversation, everybody's going to understand where everybody stands ... and then we're going to get about our business and get ready to play."

The Blue Jackets have previously been in similar situations, as both Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky indicated they weren't interested in re-signing before leaving for other clubs in free agency in 2019. However, those two stars were pending UFAs.