Value of: Future of Jonathan Drouin

[Seb]

Jonathan Drouin's contract of 5.5M$ for 6 years is now over. During that time, he has only been able to score over 50 pts once. In the past four years he has missed a significant amount of games either due to injuries or mental issues.

His time with Montréal is most likely over, I don't see Hughes offering him a new contract since we're going to give all the room to the young kids to develop.

I personally don't believe he can be effective on a top line anymore, he is a perimeter player whose only remaining skill is passing but has little to no creativity with the puck anymore. He's definitely not the kind of player you'd want on your bottom 6 either, he's neither physical nor defensively responsible.

So, with that in mind, is there any future for Jonathan Drouin in the NHL? Would there be any team interested in giving him a 1x1 sort of contract?

It's also worth mentioning that it's also a possibility that Drouin simply retires. This is what I believed would happen at the end of his contract considering his personal issues but at the end of the season interviews on Friday he expressed his desire to continue playing.

So, what happens next with him?

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[MXD]

Worse players than him have been getting deals, but those players were also generally able to shoot the puck, so hard to tell. If I was him I'd definitely plan for Europe with those sweet short travelling distances and shorter schedules. It's not like the difference between 1.2M and 300K means THAT much to him.

 

[UnSandvich]

If he wants to stay in the NHL, he should be looking to sign a 1x1 Prove It deal with a team he has a shot of playing in the Top 6 with. Ideally one with a star up front he might be able to work with

 

[boredmale]

I predict he signs a cheap 1 year deal with Colorado

 

[majormajor]

I could see Switzerland being a breath of fresh air for Drouin.

 

[Bouboumaster]

Positives:
- Fast AF
- Excellent ice vision
- Great passer to go with his ice vision


Negatives:
- Doesn't play defense
- Never shoot the puck, ever
- Will absolutly get outmuscled
- Poor health in general (not talking about mental health, I'm talking about the loads of missing games he had in the past few years)


I think he's still able to have 40 points/50 points in the NHL but the 5.5M$ contract days are over, that's for sure

I'd take him back on the Habs, but most def not at the same price

I'd do 3M$/1Y and sign him back yearly, up until we don't need him anymore/trade him/he decides he wants to play elsewhere

 

[habsterr]

Garbage flawed player don't want him back at all. He might fit in Arizona or Switzerland.

 

[Djp]

If he wants to stay in the NHL, he should be looking to sign a 1x1 Prove It deal with a team he has a shot of playing in the Top 6 with. Ideally one with a star up front he might be able to work with

I agree….he gets something like that.

 

[General Fanager]

i get the feeling he will be in Colorado or Edmonton on a 1 x 1 type deal......

 

[Dazed and Confused]

He's in a tough situation where he can't be the go-to guy, but also needs to get fed all the PP time.

The Oilers of a few years back might have been a decent fit, where they had zero wing depth. But even then, the only thing those teams had in abundance was skilled LHS forwards, so Drouin would have still been redundant. Similar to how AA didn't mesh.

Imo that's the big problem facing him, his skillset/profile isn't really unique. Basically he needs to go to a team with a ton of high end RHS that lacks a skilled LHS to balance their attack. Sadly for him, skilled LHS are the most ubiquitous thing in the NHL.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Seems like a prime candidate for a resurgence on some southern team IMO. Being brought in as a french player to be the Habs savior (which let's be real was the pressure on him when he was traded for Serg and then declared their #1 C) broke him mentally. He is not made for a big Canadian market.

I could see him going somewhere like the Panthers and finding his game without much pressure or media spotlight on him on a cheap league min deal. Similar to ROR I think he lost the love of the game with the Habs and his contract.

In the right situation with the right people around him, there is a future IMO

 

[Tasteless Beaver]

Could see him signing a year or two with the Ducks, unlikely to go to a contender though.

 

[Hamilton Bulldogs]

Signs with avs to be teammates with his boy Nate

 

[Mrfenn92]

One year league minimum with his boy Nathan.

 

[The Hockey Tonk Man]

2 goals in 58 games is not good.

 

[pth2]

I think his profile ends up being like that of Max Domi - he needs to go somewhere that needs production to appear vaguely competitive, but can't be depended on to be a reliable 2-way player.

He still has terrific skill, is one of the only Habs able to gain the zone on a PP in control of the puck, and is a great passer. He's just lost all grit, won't do much in the corners and won't be seen in the slot more than once per blue moon.

Anaheim and Chicago are the places that come to mind for me, where he'd get ample ice time and the best linemates, though Edmonton, Tampa or Colorado might find a fit, as well. Put him on a 3d line with some hard-working players, and he can make offense happen. Kind of like Tatar fit in well in Montreal with Danault and Gallagher. (and just like Tatar, don't count on Drouin maintaining any kind of efficiency come playoff time).

On teams with strong top players, looking for depth, he could be a 3d liner who gets his share of chances since the opposing game plan will be centered on the top dogs. His days of being a top-line, automatic #1 PP player are long gone, though.

 

[Point21]

With Killorn most likely leaving and maybe moving Colton if he prices himself out . i wouldn't mind Tampa giving him a 1x1 deal and get middle 6 / PP2 time.

 

[WTFMAN99]

I feel like the shooting the puck could be confidence driven.

I think some teams like Colorado, Vegas, Tampa, Calgary and Toronto which could feel cap pressures will be open to giving him a 1 year deal on the cheap.

He should probably sign with a team where he will have less pressure on him.

 

[Unbiased Fan]

I’d give him 1x1 deal from the leafs. Try him on a line with Tavares and Nylander

 

[HuGo Sham]

when he's on and injury-free he's a talented playmaker - even if he's allergic to contact. I think he'll sign a 1 year deal with either Colorado or Arizona

 

[Weltschmerz]

Watch him join the leafs for cheap.

 

[abo9]

Watch him join the leafs for cheap.

I mean, I can see the Leafs wanting a guy like that to provide depth scoring on the cheap.

However, from Drouin's perspective, he seems to deal real badly with any kind of pressure (that's an assumption on my end - grain of salt).

I see a lot of Colorado suggestions, but with his history and him not being super reliable (in terms of games played), would a rebuilding team not make more sense? I can totally see him going to a place like San Jose - not pressure playing in the top 6 and top PP, and otherwise enjoying California.

I'd say Arizona, but I think their best 4 wingers are clearly better than Drouin, and he has no place on a bottom 6

 

[boompuffboom]

i could see him sign a year or two with a team like anaheim, san jose, seattle.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Pretty much a forgone conclusion he'll be with Colorado next year playing with Mackinnon.


Whether that does anything to rejuvenate his career, we'll have to wait and see. I have my doubts.

 

[dirtydanglez]

probably a 1y $1m deal with the avs or maybe edm or car