Player Discussion Jonathan Drouin - Dr Jeckel And Mister Hyde Vibes Edition

[DramaticGloveSave]

I think so. He's only 3 points away from PPG. He could do it IMO.

If this is the real Drouin, absolutely.

 

[BushFireRecordsRedux]

Could he be a 80 pts player ?

Could he hit 80 points? Sure, maybe in a semi lucky year. I'm skeptical that he can be an 80 point player regularly. First of all, that takes a lot of consistency which he can lack and second of all, there's a lot less guys putting up 80 points regularly than most people think.

I like him a lot, I think he's our most skilled forward and an important cog. I think if he's a regular 60-65 point forward on a good contract with high end skill that's extremely valuable. I think last year was unacceptable but I was also willing to give him a mulligan, not because players usually keep developing into their mid20s (most players don't) but because I thought he got put into an awful situation, on an awful zombie team all while playing out of position. I think he'll probably slump at some point and this thread will be busy with people destroying him and killing that trade and I'll be confused as to what's so controversial about this player. We have a pretty good idea what he is, and that's a very good, important player who will look silly at times.

 

[WhiskeySeven*]

60 points is doable, 80 I wouldn't bet on. I'd love if he proves most of us wrong and actually turns into a big time player but scoring is up across the league and other teams (and especially goalies) haven't fully adjusted to it. Let's see how he fares around Feb-Apr when the best players keep up their pace and the pretenders fall off. I want him to succeed.

 

[The Great Weal]

Could he be a 80 pts player ?

80 is a very tough task. He might do it next year if Domi keeps up his play(and for next year) AND we sign a Stone/Panarin in the off season as the RW on that line.

 

[Vachon23]

80 is a very tough task. He might do it next year if Domi keeps up his play(and for next year) AND we sign a Stone/Panarin in the off season as the RW on that line.

My question was more if he can make it once in his career

 

[Kriss E]

Awesome game by JD.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

My question was more if he can make it once in his career

This last week I was negative about JD play overall. Not his fault really those 6 losses but he didn't contribute offensivly either. Lot of speed but risky plays. He's not big so no domination thru physical presence like the kind of player Getzlaf, Malkin, Tavares or Kopitar, forget it.
I think him having a career almost like Paul Kariya had. 80 pts would come in 2 years or between when he will be aged 25 to 28. After he will slow down a little but his natural skills will make him a 50 to 65 pts. After his prime I think he will be terrible, he will look like Brière when he was an hab.
So he will be 75% of Paul Kariya stats.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

Awesome game by JD.

We have to cross our fingers Drouin can have a game like this 9 out of 10 games. That would be great. I don't want him having a good game once on 4 like Kovalev did, in 2001 to 2009. Hockey had changed a lot since.

 

[Kriss E]

We have to cross our fingers Drouin can have a game like this 9 out of 10 games. That would be great. I don't want him having a good game once on 4 like Kovalev did, in 2001 to 2009. Hockey had changed a lot since.

Yes..that is the hope.
However, I dont mind Kovalev, he might have had a tough time producing consistently but he was entertaining nonetheless.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Bagged on him when he played like crap so will gladly give him credit, maybe the best game of his NHL career, definitely in a Habs jersey

No lazy plays, drew a couple of penalties, some sweet moves to put up a few points - just needs to be able to play like this consistently

Looked like him and Pricer had a moment at the end of the game

 

[Vachon23]

This last week I was negative about JD play overall. Not his fault really those 6 losses but he didn't contribute offensivly either. Lot of speed but risky plays. He's not big so no domination thru physical presence like the kind of player Getzlaf, Malkin, Tavares or Kopitar, forget it.
I think him having a career almost like Paul Kariya had. 80 pts would come in 2 years or between when he will be aged 25 to 28. After he will slow down a little but his natural skills will make him a 50 to 65 pts. After his prime I think he will be terrible, he will look like Brière when he was an hab.
So he will be 75% of Paul Kariya stats.

If he became a Paul Kariya I will be REALLY happy

 

[yianik]

It's all about what is happening between Drouins ears, the mental part of the game.

The skill set is there, no question.

The issue for him is whether he implicates himself in the game like last night, is smart constantly moves his feet and works hard. Or does he glide around and try to compensate by doing one on three rushes to look like he is trying to do something.

A guy like Domi is great for Drouin. Domi looks like a guy who never stops, and Drouin needs that in the worst way. Give Drouin an inconsistent main player on his line and it will be a disaster, with a few highlight reel goals here and there.

 

[DAChampion]

Drouin, if he keeps up his recent improved play, will be a good counterexample to the common claim on this board that development does not exist, and that the cream always rises to the top.

Fact is, Drouin was going to bust. He was playing poorly and lacking motivation. If his name were Jaroslav Dronov, he would have been relegated to the 4th like, press box, and eventually traded for a 4th round pick. As recently as a month ago, a large swath of this board was saying that Drouin had the fundamental limitation of low hockey IQ, and that he was going to be a mediocre second liner at best.

But he might be turning into more than that. He is playing well. I'll argue that this is partly because the Habs left him in a position to work out his issues, they did not punish him for each failure, and they gave him opportunities to do well, for example good linemates and I've time.

If Drouin keeps it up, he will be a good example of development depending on both player and management.

 

[Not The One]

Fact is, Drouin was going to bust. He was playing poorly and lacking motivation. If his name were Jaroslav Dronov, he would have been relegated to the 4th like, press box, and eventually traded for a 4th round pick.

Fact is that this narrative is incredibly ridiculous, and gets more so every time some puts it out there.

 

[LyricalLyricist]

Fact is that this narrative is incredibly ridiculous, and gets more so every time some puts it out there.

Not only is it ridiculous from the Russian-French perspective the whole argument DA presented that according to HF Habs Drouin is a bust is also comical. As if people haven't realized we are sometimes extreme and sensationalist. Besides, 3rd overall picks aren't guaranteed to be stars. They have talent but a lot of guys like Jack Johnson, Cam Barker, etc don't end up very good and guys like Turris, Galchenyuk, etc... end up more of the 1B line types.

Drouin is fine. People need to accept him as a offensive winger who will have his flaws but he wasn't about to bust and he isn't getting special treatment.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Could he be a 80 pts player ?

Sure he can. He has the skills to be a pt/game player for sure IMO. The key is who we play him with and how our PP looks. Were talking about a 1.89 pt/game player in the Q here man. The potential is there and he will mature as he works his way through his mid 20's to late 20's.

 

[Sniperr]

Drouin have been incredible the past couple games.

 

[Miller Time]

Drouin, if he keeps up his recent improved play, will be a good counterexample to the common claim on this board that development does not exist, and that the cream always rises to the top.

Fact is, Drouin was going to bust. He was playing poorly and lacking motivation. If his name were Jaroslav Dronov, he would have been relegated to the 4th like, press box, and eventually traded for a 4th round pick. As recently as a month ago, a large swath of this board was saying that Drouin had the fundamental limitation of low hockey IQ, and that he was going to be a mediocre second liner at best.

But he might be turning into more than that. He is playing well. I'll argue that this is partly because the Habs left him in a position to work out his issues, they did not punish him for each failure, and they gave him opportunities to do well, for example good linemates and I've time.

If Drouin keeps it up, he will be a good example of development depending on both player and management.

Spot on. It's incredible that some posters still deny the development aspect and/or how important usage & treatment by the coaching staff/organization is to support or impede development.

We've seen so many young, talented players get a choke chain treatment, and fail... It speaks volumes to see MB's toy get the velvet leash and, surprise surprise, over time "find" performance levels closer to his potential.

Granted, no team can support every asset to the same degree, but manboh man have we squandered & diminished some quality talent just to be mediocre

 

[Habaneros]

all you got to do is look at
Nathan MacKinnon

Nathan MacKinnon hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com

50-60 pts guy in NHL..some questioning/doubting him... and whamo he goes off for 97 pts....and is burning it up this season

As i said before Drouin is goona do the same,those 2 guys are just so skilled...

 

[montreal]

Man have the tables turned since last season. Sergachev exposed and Drouin a force. Not the one-sided deal Habs fans kept crying about.

Are you saying it wasn't very one sided last year? And it's one thing to look at a trade at the end of the season but another to do so 2 months into. People were touting Reilly as one of MB's best moves earlier on and then he ends up in the stands for 2 weeks.

Sergachev is on pace for 29 pts at 20, meanwhile we have Mete who after 72 games in the NHL is on pace for 12 pts over 82 games and Juulsen who is on pace for 16 pts.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

all you got to do is look at
Nathan MacKinnon

Nathan MacKinnon hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com

50-60 pts guy in NHL..some questioning/doubting him... and whamo he goes off for 97 pts....and is burning it up this season

As i said before Drouin is goona do the same,those 2 guys are just so skilled...

I'm still trying to be cautious. Does he have the talent for those kind of numbers? I think so. Sheer talent I think he can at least do a PPG. If he's more consistent and stops the bad decisions (he's been showing marked improvement in both those areas) then he's a superstar as far as I'm concerned. Kid's way too fast when he turns on that extra gear. Really thought we were stuck with a middle 6er PP specialist. Glad that he's starting to look more like what most of us were salivating over pre-draft.

 

[Vachon23]

I'm still trying to be cautious. Does he have the talent for those kind of numbers? I think so. Sheer talent I think he can at least do a PPG. If he's more consistent and stops the bad decisions (he's been showing marked improvement in both those areas) then he's a superstar as far as I'm concerned. Kid's way too fast when he turns on that extra gear. Really thought we were stuck with a middle 6er PP specialist. Glad that he's starting to look more like what most of us were salivating over pre-draft.

In JR Drouin was not far of MacKinnon but I know he's not gonna be him

 

[Karma Police]

All we need from Drouin is consistency now. He needs to be involved in the play. I hate when I see him stop when something goes wrong in the play. If he stays involved and just keeps on going, he'll be scary for a lot of years. He's still young at 23 y/o, So I feel consistency is the main problem now for him to become an elite player each nights.

 

[le_sean]

Are you saying it wasn't very one sided last year? And it's one thing to look at a trade at the end of the season but another to do so 2 months into. People were touting Reilly as one of MB's best moves earlier on and then he ends up in the stands for 2 weeks.

Sergachev is on pace for 29 pts at 20, meanwhile we have Mete who after 72 games in the NHL is on pace for 12 pts over 82 games and Juulsen who is on pace for 16 pts.

I mean despite a bad season, learning a new position, on a shit team in a new environment, Drouin was still 3rd on the team in scoring last year, 8 points away from 1st. Sergachev was on the best team in the East and the best offensive team in the league. It was way too reactionary to say the trade was a loss.

Now Drouin has settled in, playing his natural position. Sergachev is struggling, I expect him to turn it around at some point. But to say it’s a loss for the Habs is wrong.

 

[JuicyHam]

It's the hair. It's gotta be the hair