Speculation: Drouin Mega Thread

[Junohockeyfan]

Early in a season . I guess Draisaitl is good for a 170 + points base on 11 points in 5 games .

It’s not about the point production, it’s about the changes he has made to his game particularly with and without the puck. He is making those around him better. The puck hog style is gone.

As Claude Julien remarked...

“I think that, at the moment, Jonathan is probably playing his best hockey since he’s been with us,” said Canadiens coach Claude Julien after Saturday’s win. “He’s playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of energy, and at the same time, he’s showing what kind of impact he can have on other players as well. It’s not the others that are making him better; it’s him who’s making them better. It’s a good sign for us and he deserves a lot of credit for it.”

 

[Finnislander]

he was a PPG player for 55 games last year - until he decided to disappear. One doesn't give up on that. I never said he was a perfect player, it's just idiotic to deal him. He's playing great with kotkaniemi and when he gets time with domi

I hate it when players disappear so bad they lose 2 points in last 26 games of the season.

 

[Chainshot]

Loved his post-game comments and ovation from the Habs faithful the other night. Hope the kid has put his issues to rest and plays to his potential.

 

[Habs Halifax]

I'm not actively putting Drouin down. I'm just responding to Hab fans that are posting complete fantasy when it comes to his value and skill. Fact he has a career high if 53 points.

If Drouin was 27, I'd be on your bandwagon. However, Drouin has never played with a elite center and he is 24 and his prime is likely from 24/25 - 30 range. Were not talking about a elite level winger who has a prime from 21-30 range. His last season was good until he hit a wall down the stretch. You can say he has a career high of 53 points but that's with a bad 20 game finish. Do you not think his potential his higher than that as he heads into prime years?

His last season was a disappointment cause how how he finished. That is clear. But where does he fall in terms of all LW players? I don't know about you but if these stats are considered a disappointment, I just wonder where he can be if he had a better finish and playing with a legit top 2C? Domi is a good center but he is not reliable in the 200' game yet.

- 53 pts (ranks tied 12th)
- 0.65 pts/game (ranks 21st)
- 16 PP points (ranks 7th)
- 16:56 of average time on ice (ranks 22nd)
- 48 giveaways and 50 takeaways (Domi had 70 giveaways and 47 takeaways)

 

[Captain Mountain]

I'm not actively putting Drouin down. I'm just responding to Hab fans that are posting complete fantasy when it comes to his value and skill. Fact he has a career high if 53 points.

Well, Drouin's skill has never been in doubt, its always been his ability to put it all together. And the value thing isn't a one sided thing. There are definitely Hab fans here overvaluing him based on a 5 game stretch. There's also people undervaluing a still young former 3rd OA pick that can be expected to put up 50ish points over a full season on a good contract.

The actual reality is that pretty much nobody is untouchable on Montreal (including Drouin), but Montreal's depth means its unlikely a team would offer anything that would justify moving him.

 

[TS Quint]

If Drouin was 27, I'd be on your bandwagon. However, Drouin has never played with a elite center and he is 24 and his prime is likely from 24/25 - 30 range. Were not talking about a elite level winger who has a prime from 21-30 range. His last season was good until he hit a wall down the stretch. You can say he has a career high of 53 points but that's with a bad 20 game finish. Do you not think his potential his higher than that as he heads into prime years?

His last season was a disappointment cause how how he finished. That is clear. But where does he fall in terms of all LW players? I don't know about you but if these stats are considered a disappointment, I just wonder where he can be if he had a better finish and playing with a legit top 2C? Domi is a good center but he is not reliable in the 200' game yet.

- 53 pts (ranks tied 12th)
- 0.65 pts/game (ranks 21st)
- 16 PP points (ranks 7th)
- 16:56 of average time on ice (ranks 22nd)
- 48 giveaways and 50 takeaways (Domi had 70 giveaways and 47 takeaways)

After 3 years of stagnant growth it's pretty hard to accept him being much better than he is on a trade board. At this point it's closer to "anything is possible" than a sure thing. It seems when talking about Drouins value Habs fans put all the risk on the other team for Drouin to grow. Realistically theres a much better chance that hes pretty much what he is. Outside a lucky year or two and maybe an unlucky one or two.

 

[Captain Mountain]

After 3 years of stagnant growth it's pretty hard to accept him being much better than he is on a trade board. At this point it's closer to "anything is possible" than a sure thing. It seems when talking about Drouins value Habs fans put all the risk on the other team for Drouin to grow. Realistically theres a much better chance that hes pretty much what he is. Outside a lucky year or two and maybe an unlucky one or two.

Ignoring upside, find me a fanbase that thinks it makes sense to trade their 24 year old former lottery pick player that puts up 50ish points for their 3rd/4th best prospect and a mid-round pick or a player that they expect to lose in the expansion draft?

 

[HockeyDBspecialist]

At least his value is taking a positive hit this season, thank god.

 

[Burke the Legend]

After 3 years of stagnant growth it's pretty hard to accept him being much better than he is on a trade board. At this point it's closer to "anything is possible" than a sure thing. It seems when talking about Drouins value Habs fans put all the risk on the other team for Drouin to grow. Realistically theres a much better chance that hes pretty much what he is. Outside a lucky year or two and maybe an unlucky one or two.

Remember his first year as a Hab was the failed Drouin at centre experiment. I know that year is best forgotten, but should be recalled in the context of Drouin's recent stats. Last year he was really dynamite for stretches and then faded down the stretch which was disappointing. Now is his follow up year to build on last year's mixed season. Julien has a history of working closely with young problematic character players to get them to the next level (most famous Brad Marchand) so it will be interesting to see if Drouin can take a step further in that direction this year and show some progress to being a more consistent force.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

If you could count on him doing that he wouldn’t have been traded to Montreal in the first place.

If this turns out to be the year that Drouin finally gets his head on straight then great, but the issue with him was never that he wasn’t capable of playing like he’s played these last two games - it’s that he only plays that way when he feels like it. Let’s see if he can keep this level of effort going on a consistent basis before people start talking him up like he’s changed.

11 games in and the changes to his game and his focus is still the same. Consistent on both ends of the ice and making really smart plays. 2 goals tonight due to his speed.

This is the year dog!