Player Discussion Jonathan Drouin Part 2

[abo9]

You don't think the Habs had too many soft wingers?

They're bad... . but that should not impede Drouin's role with the team lol.

 

[Schwang]

That's how GM's around the league will view it. It doesn't matter what teams say for public consumption, the reality is that the stigma is there and Drouin's track record with regard to his reliability is suspect. Bell Media does this big mental health PR campaign every year and every year around the same time there are several articles that come out which reveal that Bell is one of the worst offenders when it comes to having a toxic workplace that contributes to the poor mental health of their employees. This year, about 2 weeks after "Bell Let's Talk" Day, Bell closed 3 radio stations without warning, including TSN1040 in Vancouver which was an original TEAM affiliate which had been in operation for just shy of 20 years. They switched the station's signal to head office in Toronto one morning and then told staff they had 30 minutes to clean out their desks and vacate the premises. So they obviously don't give a crap about mental health despite the annual dog and pony show known as "Let's Talk".

So why would we think that the NHL or its member clubs really care either?

If Drouin had undergone hip replacement surgery he'd be more likely to get a GM to take a flyer on him than having "mental issues". Guys with those kinds of problems are seen as ticking time bombs and no GM wants to be holding that grenade in case it goes off. Drouin is an untradeable asset and I doubt very much that he ever plays another NHL game, for the Habs or anyone else.

This is exactly what I've been saying. I totally agree. You need to remove all the sentiment here. No organization will say it, but they aren't dishing out millions for a guy who (total speculation here) can't handle pressure. Whether it's pressure or depression or whatever, he's now shown that he has an issue and has made himself less marketable. No one is going to want to give up anything significant let alone pay 5.5 million to him after this. I do hope the guy is ok, but anyone thinking he's coming back is deluded. It's business not a charity. I'd bet he ends up in Europe somewhere.

 

[Forsead]

It's about soft/skilled forwards and how teams mixed them in. Drouin looks even worse on our team cause we have had too many of those types. You can spin it to what you said if you wish

Context or excuses? Take your pick

I disagree, most of Habs forward are grinders with some offensive abilities :

Gallagher, Lekhonen, Danault, Anderson, Byron, Perry, Armia, Evans.

Suzuki and Kotkaniemi have center roles and still are developing. So the only soft skilled forwards are Tatar, and to a lesser extent, Toffoli. I fail to see the abundance of soft/skilled forward in that group.

 

[Habs Halifax]

They're bad... . but that should not impede Drouin's role with the team lol.

We don't see it the same. Too many soft types has ripple effects. A guy like Tatar got to play with Danault and Gallagher full time (for the most part) and the rest of them were bounced around a lot.

 

[Habs Halifax]

I disagree, most of Habs forward are grinders with some offensive abilities :

Gallagher, Lekhonen, Danault, Anderson, Byron, Perry, Armia, Evans.

Suzuki and Kotkaniemi have center roles and still are developing. So the only soft skilled forwards are Tatar, and to a lesser extent, Toffoli. I fail to see the abundance of soft/skilled forward in that group.

Sorry but the Habs are not above average in the physicality areas in our forward group. We improved with the changes we made last off season but we still got a ways to go yet. Even Anderson is not winning too much puck battles along the walls. He tends to get all razzled when the puck is in his feet.

And with Drouin it was more about his entire time with the Habs, not just this past season.

People have overlooked the size/skating package that savvy GM's are after. Skill is important yes but so are those big dudes that skate well. You need the right mix

I'm pretty sure we might have the two smallest forwards in the NHL now with Byron and Caufield. Not complaining about it but there is no more room for Tatar and Drouin moving forward... if we want to contend.

 

[Le Tricolore]

Player Discussion - Jonathan Drouin - Part 3