Player Discussion Jonathan Drouin - The Center of Our Attention

[Sky04]

It's funny because you call Chucky a center though...

Is Chucky any good at those things you just enumerated?

He sucks at those things and he sucks on wing yet produces more than Drouin does on C - so instead of having a bad center and a bad winger, you could have a great winger and a bad center. No brainer?

You could play Drouin on wing with Plekanec and it'd be more effective than Drouin at C with any combination of wingers, he's not a center.

 

[Zusammenhalt]

Centre is such an important position and the whole line runs through centre. Drouin is so young to be carrying 1st line. Top centres in the league have years of experience. Seasoning him on a 2nd line may be the route to go. Only problem is then who will carry the first line?

 

[waterboy65]

Trying to justify Drouin as a center because he played it at some midget level of hockey is actually pretty hilarious. A baseball analogy is that in HS baseball, the most talented kid on the team usually played short stop. As the kid progressed into minors and major leagues, most of them get moved to 2nd, 3rd or often to the outfield. A HS shortstop designation did not in any way mean that the talents of a particular kid would translate at the major league level. I suspect the same was with Drouin. He was most talent kid on midget team and coach played him at center.

I have said before, Drouin can play center and eventually be a very good #2 center. Play him at wing and he can be a great wing.

 

[admiralcadillac]

Trying to justify Drouin as a center because he played it at some midget level of hockey is actually pretty hilarious. A baseball analogy is that in HS baseball, the most talented kid on the team usually played short stop. As the kid progressed into minors and major leagues, most of them get moved to 2nd, 3rd or often to the outfield. A HS shortstop designation did not in any way mean that the talents of a particular kid would translate at the major league level. I suspect the same was with Drouin. He was most talent kid on midget team and coach played him at center.

I have said before, Drouin can play center and eventually be a very good #2 center. Play him at wing and he can be a great wing.

Didn't he play centre in juniors?

 

[WeThreeKings]

Didn't he play centre in juniors?

When Tampa Bay sent him back, they asked Halifax to play him at centre.

He did not continue to do that at the pro level for their organization, however.

And as a Mooseheads fan, his final year was a whole lot of pouting and being pissed he wasn't in the NHL. His game at centre was nothing more than taking a face-off then cherry picking.

 

[sandviper]

Didn't he play centre in juniors?

I believe he played in his first year midget and in his draft year.

I dunno, seems counterproductive to me to have him be an ok center as opposed to a great winger.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I believe he played in his first year midget and in his draft year.

I dunno, seems counterproductive to me to have him be an ok center as opposed to a great winger.

His draft+1 year.

He was a winger the year he was drafted and won the Mem cup.

 

[waterboy65]

His draft year, he was a winger paired with McKinnon. Post draft year, he had a difficult first few months in transitioning to center. Some of it was attitude and some of it was adjusting to the new position but by last two months of the junior season, he as playing at a high level which one would expect for an ultra talented player. However, Tampa Bay was pretty clear that they wanted him playing Center to get him to focus on the other end of the ice (not because they wanted to develop his offensive game). At no time in Tampa once he got to NHL was there ever any thought by management, coaching and even the fans that Drouin was anything but a winger!

 

[The Macho King]

His draft year, he was a winger paired with McKinnon. Post draft year, he had a difficult first few months in transitioning to center. Some of it was attitude and some of it was adjusting to the new position but by last two months of the junior season, he as playing at a high level which one would expect for an ultra talented player. However, Tampa Bay was pretty clear that they wanted him playing Center to get him to focus on the other end of the ice (not because they wanted to develop his offensive game). At no time in Tampa once he got to NHL was there ever any thought by management, coaching and even the fans that Drouin was anything but a winger!

That's not true - we tried him at C in the AHL. He had something like 2 points in 6 games at C. That's when we gave up on him at C.

 

[HabsCup2018]

Honestly feel that Drouin is a top 15 C in the league and only going to get better. I watched Tampa play last week and Sergachev was invisible. He's really not that good guys. Let's be happy we have a star up at 1C.

 

[waterboy65]

Drouin's AHL stats- he played in 2014/2015 at wing on essentially a rehab assignment since he had broken his wrist in preaseason. He played great and was called up after 2 games. I don't recall him playing C during his 2016 demotion but he was brutal (-9) and sulked for the early part of it before he quit playing altogether. Cant really judge him on his play regardless of his position due to his mental state.

2014-15	19	Syracuse Crunch	AHL	2	1	2	3	4	0
2015-16	20	Syracuse Crunch	AHL	17	11	2	13	-9	12

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[waterboy65]

Honestly feel that Drouin is a top 15 C in the league and only going to get better. I watched Tampa play last week and Sergachev was invisible. He's really not that good guys. Let's be happy we have a star up at 1C.

Not sure what you watched. Cooper has gone out of his way to say how impressed he is with Sergachev (he certainly never praised Drouin to such extent). He and Stralman have been arguably Tampa's best defensive pairing this year on the best team in hockey. Sergachev has the tools to be a Norris Trophy caliber defenseman and the shocking thing is that his play is years ahead of what anyone thought it would be thus far. NHL teams will figure him out a bit and he will have to adjust his game but Sergachev at 19 is a far better player than Hedman or Karlson were at the same age!

 

[HabsCup2018]

Not sure what you watched. Cooper has gone out of his way to say how impressed he is with Sergachev (he certainly never praised Drouin to such extent). He and Stralman have been arguably Tampa's best defensive pairing this year on the best team in hockey. Sergachev has the tools to be a Norris Trophy caliber defenseman and the shocking thing is that his play is years ahead of what anyone thought it would be thus far. NHL teams will figure him out a bit and he will have to adjust his game but Sergachev at 19 is a far better player than Hedman or Karlson were at the same age!

Watched a game last week, Sergachev made a costly giveaway that resulted in a shot on goal and took a dumb penalty in his own zone. He just didn't impress me much. Drouin reminds me of a faster version of Steve Yzerman though.

 

[Captain Mountain]

Watched a game last week, Sergachev made a costly giveaway that resulted in a shot on goal and took a dumb penalty in his own zone. He just didn't impress me much. Drouin reminds me of a faster version of Steve Yzerman though.

Good to see the trend in this fanbase of only focusing on bad plays and completely ignoring the little stuff extends to other teams too.

But yes, Drouin who has been bad defensively and is still a mess on the dot is like Yzerman.

 

[MisterNoItAll]

Honestly feel that Drouin is a top 15 C in the league and only going to get better. I watched Tampa play last week and Sergachev was invisible. He's really not that good guys. Let's be happy we have a star up at 1C.

Drouin has also been pretty invisible since we got him.

 

[HabsCup2018]

Drouin, 13 points in 20 games while learning a new position and system. I'd say that's pretty damn good. He is gonna explode one of these games

 

[waterboy65]

Good to see the trend in this fanbase of only focusing on bad plays and completely ignoring the little stuff extends to other teams too.

But yes, Drouin who has been bad defensively and is still a mess on the dot is like Yzerman.

And I watched a lot of hockey in the 80's and saw Gretzky turn the puck over a few times trying to make great passes. On that logic, I guess he was a marginal hockey player. Hedman who is arguably one of the top 3 defenseman in the world right now had a game last year where he had 3 costly turnover and was a minus 4 for the game. And I agree with CW, Drouin is nothing like Yzerman. Not a good comparison at all.

 

[admiralcadillac]

Not sure what you watched. Cooper has gone out of his way to say how impressed he is with Sergachev (he certainly never praised Drouin to such extent). He and Stralman have been arguably Tampa's best defensive pairing this year on the best team in hockey. Sergachev has the tools to be a Norris Trophy caliber defenseman and the shocking thing is that his play is years ahead of what anyone thought it would be thus far. NHL teams will figure him out a bit and he will have to adjust his game but Sergachev at 19 is a far better player than Hedman or Karlson were at the same age!

''beat defensive pairing'' = doesn'T realize Sergachev plays like 12 minutes a game, half on the PP with the best offense in the league

Some of you are out lunch

 

[The Great Weal]

Honestly feel that Drouin is a top 15 C in the league and only going to get better. I watched Tampa play last week and Sergachev was invisible. He's really not that good guys. Let's be happy we have a star up at 1C.

What? Drouin has been absolutely nowhere to be found lately. And I find it amusing how you saw one of Sergachevs many games and criticize it. I can't call him a #1 C because I'm not convinced he is one.

 

[waterboy65]

''beat defensive pairing'' = doesn'T realize Sergachev plays like 12 minutes a game, half on the PP with the best offense in the league

Some of you are out lunch

Sergachev is second to Hedman in points with 14, leads bolts in defensive goals with 5, and is second to Stralman with +/- of 8. And his TOI has been increasing to nearly 16 to 18 mins a game in his last 10. So yes, the Stralman-Sergachev pairing has outperformed the Hedman-Dotchin pairing when considering the mistakes of Dotchin!

 

[admiralcadillac]

Sergachev is second to Hedman in points with 14, leads bolts in defensive goals with 5, and is second to Stralman with +/- of 8. And his TOI has been increasing to nearly 16 to 18 mins a game in his last 10. So yes, the Stralman-Sergachev pairing has outperformed the Hedman-Dotchin pairing when considering the mistakes of Dotchin!

No his time on ice is certainly not 18 minutes over the past 10 games. His first game at 18+ minutes was last game and other than that he's played 16 + minutes maybe twice this season.

 

[Sky04]

When Tampa Bay sent him back, they asked Halifax to play him at centre.

He did not continue to do that at the pro level for their organization, however.

And as a Mooseheads fan, his final year was a whole lot of pouting and being pissed he wasn't in the NHL. His game at centre was nothing more than taking a face-off then cherry picking.

Spot on - add on that he was leagues above anybody else in that league when he was sent back it didn't really matter what position he played he was going to put up ridiculous numbers.