Player Discussion Jonathan Drouin - So comman Edition

[Miller Time]

Give Drouin this year.. I don't know if he deserves it but...

Drouin has the pure skill to become a dominant/elite winger...

Sergachev seems both on his way to be a solid, or better, top pairing Dman AND has the benefit of being in a great organization with solid coaching.

Will be a long shot, but certainly not impossible, for Drouin to evolve into a more impactful player at this point.

I agree that this year is crucial, largely for his own psyche/attitude... Just unfortunate that are unlikely to put him in a good position to succeed & instead seem determined to set him up for failure by playing him out of position(C) and out of his depth (1st line C)

 

[Kriss E]

The PP is really not an issue with this team going forward, with guys like Drouin and Domi that can distribute the puck extremely well and some solid slappers from the blue line we should be fine.

They should fix the PK as it was freaking atrocious last year. Only the Islanders were worst than us...

Ya..and their 5 on 5 game, so essentially, almost everything.

 

[Belial]

Ya..and their 5 on 5 game, so essentially, almost everything.

Well trading Chucky for Domi was a step in the right direction...

 

[Kriss E]

Drouin has the pure skill to become a dominant/elite winger...

Sergachev seems both on his way to be a solid, or better, top pairing Dman AND has the benefit of being in a great organization with solid coaching.

Will be a long shot, but certainly not impossible, for Drouin to evolve into a more impactful player at this point.

I agree that this year is crucial, largely for his own psyche/attitude... Just unfortunate that are unlikely to put him in a good position to succeed & instead seem determined to set him up for failure by playing him out of position(C) and out of his depth (1st line C)

Very possible for Sergachev to struggle a bit more next year as they start giving him harder assignments, but the fact they have Hedman there to ease him into it is a game changer.
Us, we bring in Drouin. Having a guy like Radulov, a guy that was immature earlier in his career, left to Russia without finishing his contract, came back, has raw skills and is a very passionate player, could have been great for Drouin who also shown signs of immaturity. Alas, Bergevin doesn't like dogs..
I don't view Patches has a leader and his game is very very different than Drouin. He also can be very uninspiring at times. So okay, no great leaders on the wing to mentor Drouin.
Well, that doesn't matter because we are moving him at center! There, he will learn from....well no one, he's the 1st line center...

I don't expect much of a change in Drouin's game next season. The only positive thing you can hope for is that everybody knowing this will be a tank year, maybe it will eleviate pressure from him, and he'll step up.
Personally though, Drouin played exactly how I imagined he would. A 50ish pt guy, inconsistent, defensively weak, showing some impressive moves but also showing terrible combativeness at times.

 

[Rapala]

I agree with @Kriss E.
The posters who were on point regarding Drouin last year brought up two critical areas of concern. The added pressure of being our Franco poster boy, and the difference of going from a 4th or even 5th wheel on one team to becoming the main guy on another.
These concerns haven't magically been negated by his play and regardless of where he lines up if he needs a Radulov type to spark him we are in trouble with this deal. I hope and think he will be better thus year but marginally at best.

 

[Kriss E]

Well trading Chucky for Domi was a step in the right direction...

Right direction....for Hughes. I see what you did there...

 

[Kriss E]

I agree with @Kriss E.
The posters who were on point regarding Drouin last year brought up two critical areas of concern. The added pressure of being our Franco poster boy, and the difference of going from a 4th or even 5th wheel on one team to becoming the main guy on another.
These concerns haven't magically been negated by his play and regardless of where he lines up if he needs a Radulov type to spark him we are in trouble with this deal. I hope and think he will be better thus year but marginally at best.

I think players like Drouin, Domi, Galch, those guys need mentors on the team to help them max out their potential. They are not good enough to do it on their own like a Tavares, and obviously nowhere near the Crosby-likes.

 

[Belial]

Right direction....for Hughes. I see what you did there...

Domi is a much better 5on5 player than Chucky.

 

[Kriss E]

Domi is a much better 5on5 player than Chucky.

Him and all his 9 goals?

 

[Miller Time]

Personally though, Drouin played exactly how I imagined he would. A 50ish pt guy, inconsistent, defensively weak, showing some impressive moves but also showing terrible combativeness at times.

My sentiments exactly... Whereas sergachev exceeded expectations in his first NHL season.

What comes next isn't a given for either, but odds seem to favor more of the same

 

[Hostile Offer]

Domi is a much better 5on5 player than Chucky.

The trade has been beaten to death, but honestly, I think we're better off with Domi than Chucky but at the same time Arizona will be much better with Chucky than Domi. The way we handled Chucky, he was just never going to be a net positive player for us.

 

[Adam Michaels]

Drouin finished the season on a high note. He was a lot more comfortable playing center. His face-off numbers were good, as well. In his last 20 games, he was over 50% on the face-off dot 10 times. And out of those 10, he was over 60% 7 times, and over 70% once. And he didn't take 3 or 4 face-offs in those games to have a better percentage. There were games he had taken less, but in most, he took a lot.

Production-wise, in those last 20 games, he had 16 pts (4G, 12A).

In an 82-game season, that's a pace of 66 pts. He played 77 games last season, so if he had that pace he had at the end all season, he would have 62 pts.

If Drouin can start from where he ended last year, he will be much better and have the numbers to back it up.

 

[admiralcadillac]

I agree with @Kriss E.
The posters who were on point regarding Drouin last year brought up two critical areas of concern. The added pressure of being our Franco poster boy, and the difference of going from a 4th or even 5th wheel on one team to becoming the main guy on another.
These concerns haven't magically been negated by his play and regardless of where he lines up if he needs a Radulov type to spark him we are in trouble with this deal. I hope and think he will be better thus year but marginally at best.

Living in Quebec City, I can assure you no one gives a shit about Drouin or the franco poster boys anymore. If they do, they are a minority in Quebec. People would rather watch football here - placating 3 fans is not equivalent to sustained pressure for francophones in Montreal. The media maintains it much more than fans do.

The trade has been beaten to death, but honestly, I think we're better off with Domi than Chucky but at the same time Arizona will be much better with Chucky than Domi. The way we handled Chucky, he was just never going to be a net positive player for us.

I think Arzona will continue to be putrid, but I hope for Chucky's sake they don't.

 

[Kriss E]

Drouin finished the season on a high note. He was a lot more comfortable playing center. His face-off numbers were good, as well. In his last 20 games, he was over 50% on the face-off dot 10 times. And out of those 10, he was over 60% 7 times, and over 70% once. And he didn't take 3 or 4 face-offs in those games to have a better percentage. There were games he had taken less, but in most, he took a lot.

Production-wise, in those last 20 games, he had 16 pts (4G, 12A).

In an 82-game season, that's a pace of 66 pts. He played 77 games last season, so if he had that pace he had at the end all season, he would have 62 pts.

If Drouin can start from where he ended last year, he will be much better and have the numbers to back it up.

That sounds good. The problem with that is doing things over 82gp is incomparable to doing it over 20 games.
That is the difference between an elite top liner and a top 6 guy. Consistency at the highest point.

 

[Adam Michaels]

That sounds good. The problem with that is doing things over 82gp is incomparable to doing it over 20 games.
That is the difference between an elite top liner and a top 6 guy. Consistency at the highest point.

Yup. He definitely needs to do it all year long. The reason I noted the end of the year, specifically, is because I remember him playing a lot more like what we expected of him at the start. It was around the time he was put with Byron and Gallagher and they helped him elevate his game.

It's also why I said if he starts like he ended, he'll be a lot better.

 

[Scriptor]

I think players like Drouin, Domi, Galch, those guys need mentors on the team to help them max out their potential. They are not good enough to do it on their own like a Tavares, and obviously nowhere near the Crosby-likes.

How does that mean good enough to do it on their own? Mature enough, maybe, when it comes to mentors? Otherwise, if it's a question of not being 'good enough', we,re not necessarily talking about 'mentors', but rather about players that make other players better on the ice by their own skill level. A Lemieux, Gretzky, etc. are easy examples, but there are others that aren't necessarily generational stars.

I don't disagree wth you. I just don't understand what you are really getting at.

 

[Scriptor]

That sounds good. The problem with that is doing things over 82gp is incomparable to doing it over 20 games.
That is the difference between an elite top liner and a top 6 guy. Consistency at the highest point.

You are right that Drouin needs to prove that he can do this consistently. However, the trend finished off on a good note. Proof will be in the pudding, as they say, whether he progresses from where he left off or not.

 

[Scriptor]

Yup. He definitely needs to do it all year long. The reason I noted the end of the year, specifically, is because I remember him playing a lot more like what we expected of him at the start. It was around the time he was put with Byron and Gallagher and they helped him elevate his game.

It's also why I said if he starts like he ended, he'll be a lot better.

I predict that he starts off the year as a PPG C and then gets injured as Galchenyuk did. When he comes back, 4th line duties will await him if he doesn't put in the effort and has a bad attitude.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

At the time of the Drouin/Sergechev trade I was fan of the move. Actually I loved it, not going to lie, but that was before I knew Markov/Radulov were being let go and Drouin was going to be converted to Center. Had I known that I would have walked away from this deal given the chance, but I really think adding Drouin (the winger) along with Radulov and Markov gave us a ton of options/depth even as far as subsequent deals to drive and upgrade Center, but alas, none of that happened.

 

[417]

Yup. He definitely needs to do it all year long. The reason I noted the end of the year, specifically, is because I remember him playing a lot more like what we expected of him at the start. It was around the time he was put with Byron and Gallagher and they helped him elevate his game.

It's also why I said if he starts like he ended, he'll be a lot better.

Also coincides with Plekanec being traded and Drouin getting a bit more icetime at ES

 

[Kriss E]

How does that mean good enough to do it on their own? Mature enough, maybe, when it comes to mentors? Otherwise, if it's a question of not being 'good enough', we,re not necessarily talking about 'mentors', but rather about players that make other players better on the ice by their own skill level. A Lemieux, Gretzky, etc. are easy examples, but there are others that aren't necessarily generational stars.

I don't disagree wth you. I just don't understand what you are really getting at.

Well I guess you can call it mature, or maybe something else.
Drouin is obviously very talented. He can display some serious skills, but the fact he can't do it consistently...what do you call that? We can say the same for Patches. He's undeniably has a lethal shot, but what makes him unable to crack the 45-50 mark to reach the higher echelon? I don't think I'd call it maturity.

 

[cphabs]

Honestly? I hope Drouin the best but I think he needs to take his head out of his ass. I have witnessed what this kid can do when fired up and, for a lack of a better phrase, PISSED! He has the ability to take control of an NHL game at any time. How can I say this? We have seen it! He’s not an enigma or lazy! He just needs some wisdom.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

I think Drouin is best when he's playing with high effort guys- it just didn't work last year with he, Galchenyuk, and Pacioretty. We did see Drouin click with Gallagher, maybe Domi is the LW he needs.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

I think Drouin is best when he's playing with high effort guys- it just didn't work last year with he, Galchenyuk, and Pacioretty. We did see Drouin click with Gallagher, maybe Domi is the LW he needs.

He looked his absolute best with Byron and Gallagher late in the season, those two really made things easy for him. He needs guys that will do the ''dirty work'' on his line ( pressure, forechecking, puck chasing, etc. ) .

 

[Talks to Goalposts]

The PP is really not an issue with this team going forward, with guys like Drouin and Domi that can distribute the puck extremely well and some solid slappers from the blue line we should be fine.

They should fix the PK as it was freaking atrocious last year. Only the Islanders were worst than us...

As discussed earlier in the thread, slappers from the blueline is an inefficient way to score on the power play. Its good for getting guys like Weber PP points, but bad at producing goals for the team. This was a factor in why Montreal was much more effective with Petry as 1D on the PP.

However, Montreal just traded away the guy who is easily their best foward goal scorer on the power play in Galchenyuk for Domi, who is a middling at best goal scorer and historically a poor power play player compared to other top six forwards. The PP looks to regress next season, having Domi and Drouin does not make them fine, it makes them not fine. The Habs very much lack the multi-dimensional offensive threat at forward that guys like Radulov and Galchenyuk represented that you can build a good power play around. Heck, they completely lack a guy that is as dangerous as Plekanec was in his prime years on the powerplay right now.