- Oct 24, 2008
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My only issue with Drouin is long term trust.
I think Drouin's mental state effects his game ALOT, do we have enough trust that simply being in the right situation is enough for a long term deal, to trust that he won't regress if any adversity comes up along the way?
He earned a new contract this year, and someone is going to pay it, do we trust him enough for that team to be us?
The money could be found if we absolutely wanted to retain him.
His best friend is Nathan MacKinnon, a guy who takes no days off and is more serious about winning and performance than anybody this organization has seen in a long time.
They drive together to the rink every day, whether its practice or games. Drouin said he gets Nate's coffee order and picks him up at home for the 20 minute drive to the arena. They're attached to the hip during practices, they are the last 2 coming off the ice after warm-ups doing their own one-timer drill.
I firmly believe the only thing that would see Drouin go off the rails is if something happened to that friendship, which is extremely unlikely.
MacK has renewed Jo's drive and passion for the game.
Barring Walsh convincing Drouin to chase the bag, I'd be shocked to not see him return next year. He will want it and MacK will mandate it to management.