Yeah, no lack of confidence with this kid. Even if many young players think this kind of thing, they don't often outright say it. In a way, I admire his swagger, but he's got to deliver now otherwise he looks like an entitled punk.
How I imagine Yzerman feels after dealing with the Drouin:
We could also just take everything he says with a grain of salt. It’s pretty obvious since the interviews leading up to the draft that his native language isn’t English. If anyone could understand how things get lost in translation, I figured lilidk would be able to pick up on that.
I don’t think he’s saying GR players are bad at hockey and can’t pass the puck. I think he’s commenting on the overall skill level of the league and how playing with the most possible skill lends itself best to his game. He feeds off of it.
As for the Veleno bit, I think he’s just hyping up someone he’s probably become closer to. He enjoyed playing with Veleno and felt they were a strong match last year and Veleno obviously improved this year, so he’s saying, “shit, if I feel that my game is taken up a notch when playing in the NHL, Veleno’s probably would be too.”
This is blown out of proportion. He even said, “I don’t want to talk about it. I want to show that I’m ready.” Nothing wrong with someone who is confident and wants a chance to prove it.