Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is fully confident that restricted free agent centre Pierre-Luc Dubois will sign before training camp, whenever that is.

"I'm 100 percent sure it will get done," Kekalainen told NHL.com. "I know he wants to play in the National Hockey League, so the only way he can play in the National Hockey League in this year is if he signs a contract with us."

Dubois, 22, posted 18 goals and 49 points in 70 games last season, adding four goals and 10 points in 10 games during the postseason.

Selected third overall in the 2016 NHL Draft, Dubois has 65 goals and 158 points in 234 career games since joining the Blue Jackets. 

The Blue Jackets currently have $9.23 million in cap space, per CapFriendly, with Dubois as the lone remaining outstanding restricted free agent. Kekalainen said he hasn't ruled out dipping into the unrestricted free agent market but doesn't feel pressured to make a move.

"We're looking at it, but it has to be the right fit not only for the way we like to build our team, but also in the cap world," Kekalainen said. "So, term and dollars and all of that, plus how he fits into our team structure and our team culture, those are the factors that we weigh in when we make our decisions.

"So far we've stayed with this group and time will tell if that will be the case a month from now or two months from now. But we feel confident in our team. We feel good about our team."

The Blue Jackets, who bought out centre Alex Wennberg in October, have yet to sign an unrestricted free agent this off-season.