Player Discussion Jonathan Drouin: To C Or Not to C

[The Great Weal]

Drouin is more talented than Galchenyuk in pretty much every capacity. Skating? Not close. Hands? Not close. Vision/Passing? Not close. Only thing AG might have the edge in is with his shot, and even then AG can't get it off in traffic so it's overrated.

Why are hands not close? Are you still applauding him for catching a puck in the air? Vision/Passing not close? Yeah right. I love how you say "might" have the edge with his shot while Drouin has yet to prove he is a consistent goalscorer.

 

[417]

Were you a Plekanec supporter?

Of course I was...just not a supporter of the way he was used.

I'm a Habs fan but I don't necessarily support all Habs players. Until Drouin proves that he can play with heart for us, I won't be one of his "supporters". I gave him a chance, I liked him in TB but I obviously didn't know him well enough until I saw him play for us.

I won't support lazy players and cheapshotters. So wasn't a fan of Shaw and Ott.

The reason I made that comment is that Bryson is constantly trying to create and promote factions here.

Bergevin supporters or now...Drouin supporters.

It's all nonsense...we're all supposed to be Habs fans here, who seemingly all want the team to be successful.

Jonathan Drouin being successful is actually a good thing if you're a Habs fans, so I don't quite understand how anyone shouldn't be a "supporter".

Now does that mean you can't criticize his game? Of course not...

But I mean...what Habs fan, in his/her right mind, wouldn't want Drouin to be more successful than Galchenyuk will be?

 

[DAChampion]

Statisticians around the league hand out assists like Halloween candy. Galchenyuk has always had limited vision on the ice. He's not a great playmaker and has no higher gear when it comes to his skating. These are all things that the Habs could have worked with him to improve on, but between the kid's meddling hockey dad and the Habs' inept coaching and development strategy, he never had a chance to become anything more than what we've already seen.

What I assigned to Galchenyuk is superior "passing" ability.

Passing is not just about vision. It's also about the geometric accuracy and speed of your passes, which Galchenyuk does well, and about shooting ability. Opposing teams know that AG27 can shoot, and thus his linemates are more likely to be open.

The rules for assists are the same for Galchenyuk as they are for all other players in the league, and he's consistently had a respectable number of assists throughout his career, in spite of playing in a precarious position.

 

[DAChampion]

Drouin is the only center that has 0 chemistry with Pacioretty in the last 6-7 years.

Galchenyuk, Danault, Plekanec, DD, Gomez all had success with Pacioretty. I wonder why the so-talentend and great passer Drouin is struggling with Pacioretty.

To be honest.. raw talent I'm not sure who's more talented between Galchenyuk or Drouin but I still think Galchenyuk is more effective offensively than Drouin.

Drouin had an anemic 36 assists in spite of playing the entire season as first line center, with Pacioretty/Gallagher regularly on his wing.

He had a catastrophically bad performance, if we're honest. Eller, Desharnais, Galchenyuk, and Plekanec have all been better in recent memory.

Perhaps it's simply because he's not a natural center. I'm willing to give him one more season on that basis.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

Why are hands not close? Are you still applauding him for catching a puck in the air? Vision/Passing not close? Yeah right. I love how you say "might" have the edge with his shot while Drouin has yet to prove he is a consistent goalscorer.

Hands are definitely not close- at least in an NHL game sense. Has Galchenyuk ever gotten around someone 1 on 1?

 

[417]

What I assigned to Galchenyuk is superior "passing" ability.

Passing is not just about vision. It's also about the geometric accuracy and speed of your passes, which Galchenyuk does well, and about shooting ability. Opposing teams know that AG27 can shoot, and thus his linemates are more likely to be open.

The rules for assists are the same for Galchenyuk as they are for all other players in the league, and he's consistently had a respectable number of assists throughout his career, in spite of playing in a precarious position.

Assists aren't necessarily an indicator of passing ability...

How many of those assists came off rebounds? Or secondary assists?

Galchenyuk's best attribute is his shot, everyone knows this...there's no one out there who thinks "playmaker" when they think of Galchenyuk.

Meanwhile, it's pretty much the complete opposite for Drouin...a guy known primarily for his ability to create plays and unwillingness to shoot.

 

[peate]

Hands are definitely not close- at least in an NHL game sense. Has Galchenyuk ever gotten around someone 1 on 1?

The first time he tried that deke of his, it didn't work, yet he keeps trying it.

 

[groovejuice]

There was also the Winter Classic game where he seemed happy about the game they lost. He kept saying they had a great game for fan experience (with a smug) and people bashed him hard because he was grinning. He should have been unhappy because the team lost

A real player for Bergevin is one who fractures his knuckles hitting a wall after a loss. Heaven forbid a guy could take it in stride and double his efforts next time around.

 

[DAChampion]

Assists aren't necessarily an indicator of passing ability...

How many of those assists came off rebounds? Or secondary assists?

Galchenyuk's best attribute is his shot, everyone knows this...there's no one out there who thinks "playmaker" when they think of Galchenyuk.

Meanwhile, it's pretty much the complete opposite for Drouin...a guy known primarily for his ability to create plays and unwillingness to shoot.

The rules for Galchenyuk's assists are the same as those for every other player. It may be that in any given year he got lucky, but it's unlikely that it's been consistently the case throughout his career. He's always been a combination passer-shooter. Even in junior.

The reason that fans describe him as a shooter is because many fans believe that a player can be a shooter, a passer, but not both. Therefore, the way that fans describe him is irrelevant.

As for the perception of Drouin, it's sky-high. He's seen as an elite talent and a legitimate 3rd overall draft pick from a very deep draft year. Thus far he has not lived up to that perception.

 

[417]

The rules for Galchenyuk's assists are the same as those for every other player. It may be that in any given year he got lucky, but it's unlikely that it's been consistently the case throughout his career. He's always been a combination passer-shooter. Even in junior.

The reason that fans describe him as a shooter is because many fans believe that a player can be a shooter, a passer, but not both. Therefore, the way that fans describe him is irrelevant.

I can't speak for others - but I don't think this.

It's not like I don't think Galchenyuk can pass, he can, but I find the best part of his game or how I would describe him is as a shooter...not a playmaker or set-up guy.

I've seen more on-ice awareness in Kotkaniemi's 1 preseason game than I did from Galchenyuk in 6yrs.

As for the perception of Drouin, it's sky-high. He's seen as an elite talent and a legitimate 3rd overall draft pick from a very deep draft year. Thus far he has not lived up to that perception.

Agreed.

Neither has.

 

[Captain Mountain]

Assists aren't necessarily an indicator of passing ability...

How many of those assists came off rebounds? Or secondary assists?

Galchenyuk's best attribute is his shot, everyone knows this...there's no one out there who thinks "playmaker" when they think of Galchenyuk.

Meanwhile, it's pretty much the complete opposite for Drouin...a guy known primarily for his ability to create plays and unwillingness to shoot.

Public passing data available to us show us that Glachenyuk is a damn good passer. His eSA1/60 is comfortably above league average (comparable to guys like Stepan, Keller, Seguin, ROR), he's well above league average in One-Timers, Low-to-High passes and royal road passes.

Viewing Galchenyuk as a shooter and Drouin as a playmaker is pretty simple. Drouin is a better passer and Galchenyuk is better shooter, but its kind of unfair to both to put it that way. Galchenyuk doesn't shoot a lot more than Drouin and Drouin doesn't create chances a lot more than Galchenyuk through passing. Drouin isn't unwilling to shoot either.

 

[muzion]

Hands are definitely not close- at least in an NHL game sense. Has Galchenyuk ever gotten around someone 1 on 1?

From Dec/Jan onward (1 year after his knee injury), Galchenyuk would consistently get around someone 1 on 1 more often than Drouin. You're both underestimating him, while not accounting for the fact that Drouin is not confident enough to pull these moves in the NHL, as he ends up losing the puck in precarious situations. What made him dominant in the QMJHL he can't replicate in the pros, so how good are his hands really?

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Galchenyuk’s passing >>> Drouin’s passing in the NHL . This isint the Q.
Drouin might be a better playmaker by creating more space for himself but when it comes to actual tape to tape passes throughout the course of a game 27 has him beat sorry. At least last year he did.

 

[Peanut]

Public passing data available to us show us that Glachenyuk is a damn good passer. His eSA1/60 is comfortably above league average (comparable to guys like Stepan, Keller, Seguin, ROR), he's well above league average in One-Timers, Low-to-High passes and royal road passes.

Viewing Galchenyuk as a shooter and Drouin as a playmaker is pretty simple. Drouin is a better passer and Galchenyuk is better shooter, but its kind of unfair to both to put it that way. Galchenyuk doesn't shoot a lot more than Drouin and Drouin doesn't create chances a lot more than Galchenyuk through passing. Drouin isn't unwilling to shoot either.

I want the site with these stats posted right meow lol

 

[NobleSix]

I'll give skating to Drouin right off the bat, but I'm not seeing how he has better hands, passing, and vision. He may be better in those areas, but he sure didnt show it last season.

 

[The Great Weal]

I'll give skating to Drouin right off the bat, but I'm not seeing how he has better hands, passing, and vision. He may be better in those areas, but he sure didnt show it last season.

It also doesn't matter if Drouin is better than Galchenyuk at everything. If he puts in absolutely no effort like last year, it's going to be pointless. You can have all the skills in the world, but if you dont compete at all, you are just wasting those talents.

 

[montreal]

I'll give skating to Drouin right off the bat, but I'm not seeing how he has better hands, passing, and vision. He may be better in those areas, but he sure didnt show it last season.

Skating and speed for sure to Drouin, although I couldn't stand watching him so I didn't pay a lot of attention to him and while I liked Galchenyuk I didn't like how he was used at times but he still was a big disappointment overall for his skill level. That said if you go by ppg, Drouin while being a year younger had 2 less points then Galchenyuk, so they at least seem to be on the same level of offense. My only hope now is that since Drouin at least has the skating/speed, that at some point he stops playing so soft and lazy but would be surprised if that happens. I look forward to the future when MB, Julien and Drouin aren't here any more.

 

[Belial]

It's so weird that Drouin is being questioned on his work ethic while Chucky is being praised...

We're clearly watching different games...

 

[NobleSix]

It's so weird that Drouin is being questioned on his work ethic while Chucky is being praised...

We're clearly watching different games...

I don't really see many people in here praising Galchenyuk's work ethic as much as they are pointing out that they believe that Galchenyuk is at least on par with Drouin on many aspects of their games.

Pointing out that Douin was visibly lazy as f*** last season doesn't automatically mean that Galchenyuk was the model specimen of work ethic. It just means that Douin was lazy as f***. Galchenyuk and Drouin aren't connected, so making a negative observation on one player shouldn't be looked at as a positive compliment on the other player, and vice versa.

Sorry man, but if you can't at least admit that Drouin was incredibly lazy and uninterested for many, many games last season, then either 1) your bias is stopping you from seeing it, or 2) you weren't watching the games. Now with that said, I know I saw you take part in the majority of GDTs last season, so I think I know which of those two scenarios is likely the real one.

 

[The Great Weal]

It's so weird that Drouin is being questioned on his work ethic while Chucky is being praised...

We're clearly watching different games...

Lol. I'll be the first to admit that Galchenyuk can definitely be lazy but he still puts in a lot more effort than Drouin. Drouin makes Galchenyuk look like Gallagher in terms of work ethic.

 

[EdAVSfan]

Eh, I’m not really sure it matters who has better individual skills.

What only matters is how those skills can be translated into success in the NHL.

ROR isn’t a terribly talented player. Not a great shot, not a great skater, and his hands aren’t anything special.

Yet, his brains allow him to utilize his weaker skills better than both Galchenyuk and Drouin, even though those guys are more physically talented than him.

Drouin is extremely talented. But so far, he’s struggled to use that talent to its highest ability at the NHL level.

 

[Rosso Scuderia]

It's so weird that Drouin is being questioned on his work ethic while Chucky is being praised...

We're clearly watching different games...

When the french media critics a french canadian player.... you know it's bad. Both are not the hardest working player but Drouin is in a different league. Galchenyuk is not comparable. And who the hell praised Galchenyuk's work ethic??

But I agree, we are CLEARLY watching different games. I've never watch games where Markov is only better than Alzner on the powerplay like you pretended.

 

[Pickles]

It's so weird that Drouin is being questioned on his work ethic while Chucky is being praised...

We're clearly watching different games...

Galchenyuk looks like Kirk Muller in terms of work ethic compared to the golden boy.

 

[admiralcadillac]

When the french media critics a french canadian player.... you know it's bad. Both are not the hardest working player but Drouin is in a different league. Galchenyuk is not comparable. And who the hell praised Galchenyuk's work ethic??

But I agree, we are CLEARLY watching different games. I've never watch games where Markov is only better than Alzner on the powerplay like you pretended.

Who praised Galchenyuk's work ethic? No one, but the excuses keep pouring out of this place. Not hearing about it anymore is the only positive of him leaving other than getting Domi.

 

[CauZuki]

Public passing data available to us show us that Glachenyuk is a damn good passer. His eSA1/60 is comfortably above league average (comparable to guys like Stepan, Keller, Seguin, ROR), he's well above league average in One-Timers, Low-to-High passes and royal road passes.

Viewing Galchenyuk as a shooter and Drouin as a playmaker is pretty simple. Drouin is a better passer and Galchenyuk is better shooter, but its kind of unfair to both to put it that way. Galchenyuk doesn't shoot a lot more than Drouin and Drouin doesn't create chances a lot more than Galchenyuk through passing. Drouin isn't unwilling to shoot either.

Not to mention his primary assists have gone up every year over the last 3 seasons.

Galchenyuk had his flaws but in the right environment I am comfortable calling him a 30g-40a player. Which is unfortunate that we always have to find these things out after the players are cast away...