Player Discussion Jonathan Drouin - So comman Edition

[Rosso Scuderia]

Agreed...but I think Galchenyuk and the team have had success and struggled with Galchenyuk playing both wing and center.

So i'm not sure there's any conclusions to draw from either really.

Of course.. But I still think he's a better center than winger.. ESPESCIALLY with our current centers. I still don't understand why the management was so convince at the end of season 16-17 that Galchenyuk is not a center despite showing a lot of good things prior to his injury. Drouin was used as a center for a full season, despite having the same "problems" as Galchenyuk as a center. I just don't understand why they didn't give Galchenyuk that leash and let's be honest, Galchenyuk has shown a lot more positive things at center compared to Drouin in his first year. If we have 2 legit top 6 centers, then I'd have no problem with Galchenyuk on the wing.. But with Plekanec, Danault and Drouin.. in a team struggling offensively..

Pacioretty-Galchenyuk-Gallagher
Hudon/Lehkonen/Shaw-Danault-Drouin

is much better than whatever we saw last season. Did we even have a good first line for more than 10 games last season, I personally don't recall.

 

[Toene]

While I don't disagree with the overall tone of your post...it's a bit of a reach to attribute team success (W's vs L's), to Galchenyuk playing center exclusively.

There were a ton of other factors which led to that 17-6-2 record.

Id bet having a functionning 1st line was one of the major factor.

 

[417]

Id bet having a functionning 1st line was one of the major factor.

The Habs also had a functioning 1st line to end the 2015-16 season and they still finished out of the playoffs...

 

[OldCraig71]

Why is that a bad thing

I am confused by this post. How can you on one hand defend Drouin when posters like me say he was terrible last year and then say it's not a bad thing to get a top 5 pick if he is awful at center again this year?

 

[admiralcadillac]

I am confused by this post. How can you on one hand defend Drouin when posters like me say he was terrible last year and then say it's not a bad thing to get a top 5 pick if he is awful at center again this year?

[mod] I didn't "defend" Drouin (you're implying that I thought he had a good season and played well? Lol!). I just thought your comparison of him with Pavel Barber was stupid. Hyperbole and blatant misinterpretation is really annoying.

If he sucks again we get a good pick next year, whatever. I don't think Galchenyuk is the savior. He's barely a first line winger himself.

 

[OldCraig71]

I didn't "defend" Drouin (you're implying that I thought he had a good season and played well? Lol!). I just thought your comparison of him with Pavel Barber was stupid. Hyperbole and blatant misinterpretation is really annoying.

If he sucks again we get a good pick next year, whatever. I don't think Galchenyuk is the savior. He's barely a first line winger himself.

I said for the third time that Pavel Barber has good hands but do you see him in the NHL? Is that all it takes for lil Jonathan to be heralded as a local star? A set of hands is only part of being a good NHL player!

 

[Habs Icing]

Why is that a bad thing

Huh because the point of being in the NHL is not to acquire top draft picks but to try win the Cup. The Stanley Cup not that thing you use to protect your jewels. Go take a look at just a few teams who so far asked the same question you did: Oilers, Coyotes, Buffalo, Carolina. Does that answer your question?

 

[Habs Icing]

If you were even close to objective in your posts, and if you didn't consistently misrepresent what others post, maybe you'd appear normal. As it stands it's hard to understand why you're so rough on a really young player thrown into a ****storm.

The reason many on this board are hard on that "really young player" is that he played with an attitude all year long. Giving up on plays, pouting, dogging it to the bench, dogging it on back checks. Generally displaying an attitude of entitlement. And if you would have listened to his parting comments at season's end he basically blamed the team for his lack of offensive numbers. As for his putrid defensive play he never gave an answer. He couldn't really blame anyone for that.

 

[Habs Icing]

Of course.. But I still think he's a better center than winger.. ESPESCIALLY with our current centers. I still don't understand why the management was so convince at the end of season 16-17 that Galchenyuk is not a center despite showing a lot of good things prior to his injury. Drouin was used as a center for a full season, despite having the same "problems" as Galchenyuk as a center. I just don't understand why they didn't give Galchenyuk that leash and let's be honest, Galchenyuk has shown a lot more positive things at center compared to Drouin in his first year. If we have 2 legit top 6 centers, then I'd have no problem with Galchenyuk on the wing.. But with Plekanec, Danault and Drouin.. in a team struggling offensively..

Pacioretty-Galchenyuk-Gallagher
Hudon/Lehkonen/Shaw-Danault-Drouin

is much better than whatever we saw last season. Did we even have a good first line for more than 10 games last season, I personally don't recall.

I don't want to make excuses for The Idiot but wasn't it last summer that word came out that Chucky went into the league's rehab program. Maybe The Idiot was aware of it and figured pressure was getting to his young star so he gave him a position with less responsibility. I know it's a stretch.

But I really can't think of any other reason for their lack of patience with Chucky at center especially considering they gave the new kid all the slack in the world. And he repaid them with attitude.

 

[EdAVSfan]

It's easy really, and I already said it 100 times...

Chucky was played around 150 games at center under this management and they had enough.

Drouin is at 77 games right now.

There's no doubt in my mind Drouin will start the next season at center once again.

When we'll get to ~150 games we could have a debate.

I’m curious.

Why would Julien, a world class coach, care about how Galchenyuk played under different coaches and “under this management?”

Surely a coach like Julien has the confidence in himself that he can teach a player a position if he has the requisite skill.

I find it interesting that non-centers were used (Byron, Drouin) and yet not even an attempt made on a player who has experience at Center in the nhl.

Very weird.

 

[OnTheRun]

I’m curious.

Why would Julien, a world class coach, care about how Galchenyuk played under different coaches and “under this management?”

Surely a coach like Julien has the confidence in himself that he can teach a player a position if he has the requisite skill.

I find it interesting that non-centers were used (Byron, Drouin) and yet not even an attempt made on a player who has experience at Center in the nhl.

Very weird.

Because the decision to use Galchenyuk as a winger and Drouin as a center was taken in July by the GM... And not by the coach during training camp like it should be.

 

[OldCraig71]

The reason many on this board are hard on that "really young player" is that he played with an attitude all year long. Giving up on plays, pouting, dogging it to the bench, dogging it on back checks. Generally displaying an attitude of entitlement. And if you would have listened to his parting comments at season's end he basically blamed the team for his lack of offensive numbers. As for his putrid defensive play he never gave an answer. He couldn't really blame anyone for that.

If Galchenyuk played with the type of effort like little Johnnie showed us last year he would need security just to go outside in Montreal.

 

[Cobra Commander]

I suggest no one check out the Sergachev thread on the Tampa boards... it's depressing how good this kid is and is going to be.

Seriously go f*** yourself MB for trading this stud Left Defender (perfect partner for Weber) for another winger that we didn't need simply because he is French... I f****** hate this clown so much.

 

[CHwest]

I suggest no one check out the Sergachev thread on the Tampa boards... it's depressing how good this kid is and is going to be.

Seriously go f*** yourself MB for trading this stud Left Defender (perfect partner for Weber) for another winger that we didn't need simply because he is French... I f****** hate this clown so much.

Yes but he doesn't speak french.

 

[Belial]

This kid has a sick slapper and wrister, not a lot of players in this league able to score from that left side with a left shot like that...

 

[Rosso Scuderia]

This kid has a sick slapper and wrister, not a lot of players in this league able to score from that left side with a left shot like that...

That's why Drouin will always get a new chance at the beginning of each season.. The talent is there, the potential is there. He just needs a better work ethic and he'd easily be a 60 pts player. Playing where he succeeds would help too.

 

[nhlfan9191]

I’m curious.

Why would Julien, a world class coach, care about how Galchenyuk played under different coaches and “under this management?”

Surely a coach like Julien has the confidence in himself that he can teach a player a position if he has the requisite skill.

I find it interesting that non-centers were used (Byron, Drouin) and yet not even an attempt made on a player who has experience at Center in the nhl.

Very weird.

It’s interesting. I was watching an old interview of when Milbury got fired after 15-20 games as coach in Tampa back in 08. Milbury basically said even tho the players weren’t happy, the management was always trying to get in the way and dictate who got minutes. Milbury was outdated during that time and I think he was a poor choice for coach, but people who don’t think managers run interference with coaches on decisions are delusional. Marc Bergevin very clearly is the mastermind behind the Drouin/Galchenyuk usage and Julien is basically selling out because of that pretty contract extension he got.

 

[Scriptor]

I suggest no one check out the Sergachev thread on the Tampa boards... it's depressing how good this kid is and is going to be.

Seriously go f*** yourself MB for trading this stud Left Defender (perfect partner for Weber) for another winger that we didn't need simply because he is French... I f****** hate this clown so much.

Yeah, okay. Objective a little? Biased a little? Wonder which it is?

I wanted sergachev at the draft and was ecstatic when he was the one that we picked. Was sad to see him go, but I don,t this that we have seen all that we can from Drouin. MON/Bergevin's inability to get Cs is wasting a talented LW, IMO, two, if you also count Galchenyuk.

 

[Belial]

That's why Drouin will always get a new chance at the beginning of each season.. The talent is there, the potential is there. He just needs a better work ethic and he'd easily be a 60 pts player. Playing where he succeeds would help too.

I still think he can succeed at center, he has the tools IMO. A Giroux type is what I'm seeing.

 

[1909]

I still think he can succeed at center, he has the tools IMO. A Giroux type is what I'm seeing.

No. He can't. Giroux has way more poise and grit than Drouin, and has played all his junior years at center.

 

[Scriptor]

That's why Drouin will always get a new chance at the beginning of each season.. The talent is there, the potential is there. He just needs a better work ethic and he'd easily be a 60 pts player. Playing where he succeeds would help too.

Agree. just adding (I know, sounds like it is easy, but it isn't) two 2nd line Cs, with one being a top end 2nd line C/low-end #1C would seriously help get more out of wingers like Galchenyuk, Drouin, Lehkonen, Scherbak and, potentially, Zadina, who would be a better bet to make the team off the bat in an environment where the C-line was better than it currently is.

Danault in the right chair as a #3C would help Scherbak produce on a line with Hudon as his LW.

Gallagher produces with anybody (Plekanec is a prime example), but playing with a legitimate top-6 C won't handicap his production, at least.

No, two top-6 Cs (with no top-end #1C in the lot) won't make us instant contenders -- especially because we have equally serious concerns with our LD -- but it would surely allow us to better judge the value of our young wingers. I'd rather build knowing what truly are our assets than build on a guess.

 

[MC94]

I said for the third time that Pavel Barber has good hands but do you see him in the NHL? Is that all it takes for lil Jonathan to be heralded as a local star? A set of hands is only part of being a good NHL player!

Yakupov also had some dirty moves in the juniors look at him now i cant beleive I was upset the oilers won instead of us at the time haha

 

[Belial]

No. He can't. Giroux has way more poise and grit than Drouin, and has played all his junior years at center.

If you say so it must be true. It's like players never got better...

 

[FloJack]

This kid has a sick slapper and wrister, not a lot of players in this league able to score from that left side with a left shot like that...

ALL 13 GOALS! LOL! Left side left shot is so hard he can only rarely do it, but at least he might be a finalist in a skills competition for that.

Also, is the YouTube advertisement that precedes the video longer than said video?

 

[Laurentide]

If you say so it must be true. It's like players never got better...

Habs players never get better. In fact, many of them get worse. They only get better when they leave.