Value of: Future of Jonathan Drouin

[Nico Cauzuki]

some team will definitely give him a 1year contract

 

[JohnTheBaptist]

some team will definitely give him a 1year contract

Maybe for league minimum, he's too much of a head case to risk more. His mental health has a bad track record. The last mandatory team meeting he missed and when Marty benched him the whole game was the last straw for me. He brings nothing to the team only problems. Tampa was very smart to dump him on Bergevin.

 

[AndreRoy]

How much work he really puts into actually being better might be scrutinized a bit. How successful he's been in that is questionable.

That’s like saying the last flight of the Hindenburg might have been a bit bumpy. His refusal to put in the work to be better was the start of his issues in Tampa. The coaching staff tried to remind him that there two nets and not just one, he didn’t want to listen, and when they got fed up and sent him down he took his proverbial ball and went home. The Lightning went on to win multiple championships by focusing on what Drouin refused to do: protecting their own net first.

Now it’s possible that Drouin has grown up some since then, but he still has all the same weaknesses he had as a 21-year old so I certainly wouldn’t bet on it. Even if you could get him on a cheap deal relative to his offensive production, do you really want a guy like that in your locker room? Throw in the fact that he’ll spend a good portion of the time off the ice and give zero effort defensively when he’s on it and I just don’t see the benefit in signing him. Some team almost certainly will, but they shouldn’t.

 

[Nico Cauzuki]

Maybe for league minimum, he's too much of a head case to risk more. His mental health has a bad track record. The last mandatory team meeting he missed and when Marty benched him the whole game was the last straw for me. He brings nothing to the team only problems. Tampa was very smart to dump him on Bergevin.

he said he was late 3min and it was the first time it happened in hes career so lets not exagerate with that meeting

Drouin showed alot of promise in Tampa obviously the trade worked out for them but they had no idea how he would turn out in Montreal Bergevin didnt help by putting him at center

I would be willing to bet that he will receive offers this summer its obviously not gonna be big contracts but teams will be giving him 1 year contracts hes a low risk high reward kinda guy Drouin is talented he just needs to deal with hes mental issues wtv they are

 

[JohnTheBaptist]

he said he was late 3min and it was the first time it happened in hes career so lets not exagerate with that meeting

Drouin showed alot of promise in Tampa obviously the trade worked out for them but they had no idea how he would turn out in Montreal Bergevin didnt help by putting him at center

I would be willing to bet that he will receive offers this summer its obviously not gonna be big contracts but teams will be giving him 1 year contracts hes a low risk high reward kinda guy Drouin is talented he just needs to deal with hes mental issues wtv they are

It doesn't matter where he goes, he will be as useless as he was in Montreal. There's no hope for this player, maybe in the KHL or European leagues.

 

[Jeune Poulet]

Drouin seemed absolutely genuine when he said he was really hoping to come back with the Habs next season, which means he is completely delusional and has learned nothing of the numerous times he has f***ed up.

There is no chance this guy comes back with the Habs.

I don't even think Drouin will get a NHL that easily. He's weak, unreliable, selfish, moody and has scored 17 goals... in the last 4 seasons combined.

I could see teams offering a PTO, if Drouin is still interested in playing hockey next season. But it really does seem like his wrist shot is completely gone and to top it off, he looks out of shape.

 

[Nico Cauzuki]

It doesn't matter where he goes, he will be as useless as he was in Montreal. There's no hope for this player, maybe in the KHL or European leagues.

it doesnt to us we dont want him anymore but like i said im sure some team will offer him a 1year contract

 

[surixon]

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

That is my guess. He'll look for a team with limited top 6 depth and sign a one year prove it deal and look to rebuild some value. If he has another 50 point year he then likely can get a 3 year 12 million or so deal.

 

[Unbiased Fan]

Sadly Drouin would be the leafs best LW signed next season if bunting walks.

 

[JohnTheBaptist]

it doesnt to us we dont want him anymore but like i said im sure some team will offer him a 1year contract

They can waste their time and energy if they want.

 

[Perratrooper]

My money is on a 1 year league Min. To $1m contract with the Avs. He will likely get the chance to play in a Malgin like roll and will probably get an opportunity on a line with MacKinnon at some point.

In my opinion given the lack of forward depth on Colorado it’ll be the best chance for a long term career. If he doesn’t workout with the Avs me might get a shot at a PTO from a team like Az before he goes to Europe.

 

[CTHabsfan]

 

[AndreRoy]

Sadly Drouin would be the leafs best LW signed next season if bunting walks.

As much as I would enjoy seeing the Leafs self-destruct by signing Drouin, I’m not sure that would be a good idea for him as a person. If he truly has mental health issues, dealing with the Toronto media and fanbase would not go well for him.

 

[biturbo19]

That’s like saying the last flight of the Hindenburg might have been a bit bumpy. His refusal to put in the work to be better was the start of his issues in Tampa. The coaching staff tried to remind him that there two nets and not just one, he didn’t want to listen, and when they got fed up and sent him down he took his proverbial ball and went home. The Lightning went on to win multiple championships by focusing on what Drouin refused to do: protecting their own net first.

Now it’s possible that Drouin has grown up some since then, but he still has all the same weaknesses he had as a 21-year old so I certainly wouldn’t bet on it. Even if you could get him on a cheap deal relative to his offensive production, do you really want a guy like that in your locker room? Throw in the fact that he’ll spend a good portion of the time off the ice and give zero effort defensively when he’s on it and I just don’t see the benefit in signing him. Some team almost certainly will, but they shouldn’t.

To be fair, i think the last flight of the Hindenburg was actually quite smooth. Right up until...they didn't quite stick the landing.

But that digression aside...The whole thing makes him a bit of an enigma. It seems like the want to is kind of there, but the how to is missing. He spent so much of his developmental years just being so supremely talented it seemed like adversity never really hit him. He never had to learn how to constructively funnel that "performance anxiety" into actual improvement.

The first time that adversity hit as an NHLer...he obviously threw a bit of a non-constructive fit. And ultimately, getting himself shipped out of Tampa without really overcoming that was probably one of the worst things for his career/development. The whole "pump 'n dump" Tampa pulled with him, pretty directly fed right into his problem and excuse-making attitude. Basically confirmed that he could sulk and pout and not put in the work and still be really productive and valuable and get his way in the end. So when adversity hit again in Montreal...he was just never equipped to deal with it.


I don't know that he's going to complete reinvent what he is as a player, or make huge strides in developing his all-around game. But if he's going to have any chance of finding some success in the later stages of his career, i think it's going to be in a role similar to what Tampa artificially inflated his stats with back in the day. Just put him in a place where he can use his obvious skill and talent to be productive and contribute that way, and hide him away as best you can from any real adversity or defensive demands.

That's where to me, he seems like a candidate to be a "bit part" PP specialist type player on a "good team"...rather than your typical "good player on a bad team". Find a landing spot where he can be that Nuge to the Oilers robust powerplay. Not the focal point or catalyst...just a smart, offensively gifted piece of the equation who can see the ice and make and receive passes at a high level, keeping the play moving through the real key engines. Hide him away in a supporting soft minutes offensive role at even strength.

I think the right team with the right situation could easily get a million bucks worth out of him in that niche. But there are only so many landing spots that can realistically provide that. That's where the Avs and Pens are the two landing spots that make the most sense to me. If they accept that he's a flawed player and is going to continue to be...and simply deploy him away from those shortcomings, letting him play to the strengths that he does still have and build some confidence in that little niche role.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

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

With his mental health issues that's a REALLY bad idea the fans and media would destroy him.

 

[TOGuy14]

I think considering his performance to date a PTO or 1 year minimum contract are coming his way

 

[Canadienna]

Nobody who has followed his career should be surprised if he has a great bounceback somewhere else next year.

Certain things seem gone, like his shot and his top end skating (it's still pretty good), but his passing is still elite. As a middle 6 PP specialist I think he can have success.

Put him on a PP with some of the league's superstars, and watch him rack up assists.

 

[AndreRoy]

To be fair, i think the last flight of the Hindenburg was actually quite smooth. Right up until...they didn't quite stick the landing.

But that digression aside...The whole thing makes him a bit of an enigma. It seems like the want to is kind of there, but the how to is missing. He spent so much of his developmental years just being so supremely talented it seemed like adversity never really hit him. He never had to learn how to constructively funnel that "performance anxiety" into actual improvement.

The first time that adversity hit as an NHLer...he obviously threw a bit of a non-constructive fit. And ultimately, getting himself shipped out of Tampa without really overcoming that was probably one of the worst things for his career/development. The whole "pump 'n dump" Tampa pulled with him, pretty directly fed right into his problem and excuse-making attitude. Basically confirmed that he could sulk and pout and not put in the work and still be really productive and valuable and get his way in the end. So when adversity hit again in Montreal...he was just never equipped to deal with it.


I don't know that he's going to complete reinvent what he is as a player, or make huge strides in developing his all-around game. But if he's going to have any chance of finding some success in the later stages of his career, i think it's going to be in a role similar to what Tampa artificially inflated his stats with back in the day. Just put him in a place where he can use his obvious skill and talent to be productive and contribute that way, and hide him away as best you can from any real adversity or defensive demands.

That's where to me, he seems like a candidate to be a "bit part" PP specialist type player on a "good team"...rather than your typical "good player on a bad team". Find a landing spot where he can be that Nuge to the Oilers robust powerplay. Not the focal point or catalyst...just a smart, offensively gifted piece of the equation who can see the ice and make and receive passes at a high level, keeping the play moving through the real key engines. Hide him away in a supporting soft minutes offensive role at even strength.

I think the right team with the right situation could easily get a million bucks worth out of him in that niche. But there are only so many landing spots that can realistically provide that. That's where the Avs and Pens are the two landing spots that make the most sense to me. If they accept that he's a flawed player and is going to continue to be...and simply deploy him away from those shortcomings, letting him play to the strengths that he does still have and build some confidence in that little niche role.

It’s a reasonable take, and maybe you’re right and it could work. But if you’re planning on using him as a PP specialist and limiting his even-strength ice time, you really need him to accept that role, and I’m not sure he could swallow his ego enough to do so. Even if he could, his shot is gone at this point so opponents would just hang back and sit on the passing lanes. To be fair it’s probably the only situation where he could be successful; I just don’t see it working.

 

[John Mandalorian]

Nobody who has followed his career should be surprised if he has a great bounceback somewhere else next year.

Certain things seem gone, like his shot and his top end skating (it's still pretty good), but his passing is still elite. As a middle 6 PP specialist I think he can have success.

Put him on a PP with some of the league's superstars, and watch him rack up assists.

A lot of guys can ride passenger to superstars and score a lot more than otherwise.

 

[biturbo19]

It’s a reasonable take, and maybe you’re right and it could work. But if you’re planning on using him as a PP specialist and limiting his even-strength ice time, you really need him to accept that role, and I’m not sure he could swallow his ego enough to do so. Even if he could, his shot is gone at this point so opponents would just hang back and sit on the passing lanes. To be fair it’s probably the only situation where he could be successful; I just don’t see it working.

Yeah. It's certainly not a slam dunk by any means. Who even knows if he can actually stay healthy anyway. But at $1M for 1-year? I think there are teams out there where it'd easily be worth the very tiny gamble. There aren't that many other bargain bin specials out there who have higher offensive upside in the right situation for that kind of pricetag.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Other than the MacKinnon factor, what exactly does he bring to the team? I don't think he's needed.

 

[Flyer lurker]

PTO Drouin will actually have to work in training camp to earn a spot.
The ability is there.
The heart isn't

 

[John Mandalorian]

Other than the MacKinnon factor, what exactly does he bring to the team? I don't think he's needed.

The Avs had 20M of empty payroll from injuries this year. Landeskog is still uncertain next year. With even more finite cap space, they can't afford to use their limited payroll next year on often injured players again or on risky lottery tickets.

 

[93LEAFS]

He's a flawed player, but unless there is some really bad stuff the general public doesn't know about (but NHL gm's know the lowdown on), he'll get a 1x1m deal somewhere. Could be a cap-crunched team trying to fill a void in their top 9, or it could be a terrible team hoping he bounces back where they either keep him or trade him as a rental at the deadline. While not the most disappointing top 5 pick of the 2010's (I'd give that to Griffin Reinhart or Nail Yakupov), he's absolutely in the discussion with guys like Dal Colle, Puljujarvi, Nolan Patrick, etc considering how big his hype was compared to what he's returned so far in the 10 years since his draft date.

With his mental health issues that's a REALLY bad idea the fans and media would destroy him.

Any market he goes to that isn't Montreal is going to be much easier for a variety of reasons. They basically traded for him and tried to make him one of the faces of the franchise as a highly hyped young Francophone, if he panned out, he's what Habs marketing dreams of. The fact he's been such a disappointment combined with the player they gave up being a key player on 2 cups team and still 24, raises that to near toxic levels. Toronto media is harsh, sure, but Montreal's is equally so, and the baggage between being traded for as a highly hyped young player who is supposed to be a core piece going forward where you gave up Sergachev while being Quebecois, to being a vet min guy on the Leafs are completely different. I don't think he fits us anyways, the Leafs want their LWers grinding and getting to the front of the net, our primary playmaking comes from RW with Marner/Nylander.

 

[AslanRH]

The Avs had 20M of empty payroll from injuries this year. Landeskog is still uncertain next year. With even more finite cap space, they can't afford to use their limited payroll next year on often injured players again or on risky lottery tickets.

I think that is very likely what they do next year.