Player Discussion Jonathan Drouin - Where Are Ü Now That We Need Ya? Edition

[FF de Mars]

Even if Romanov was a year closer....doesn't change the fact that most D needs another 2-3 years once they are in the league in order to really take their places...even guys like Hedman, Ekblad or Nurses. Romanov is not on their level either.

Patience is not the best answer when you have one of the best goalie in the league.
Patience is not the best answer when in 2 years you have Danault, Gallagher, Tatar, Kotkaniemi, Poehling, Petry all coming in for a big raise, or needs to be replace.

Romanov will lace pro KHL experience, his transition will be smoother than you think; moreover, you can find a hidden gem in the system or through a bargain trade. The Habs lack talent, it would hurt their whole team to trade the few drops they own. Sometimes I wonder, have the TV clowns become the new priests? They repeat over again the Habs lose because they don't work hard enough. What proofs do they have, random screen shots? Those guys are not experts, they are colour guys making excuses for the bad owner making money.

 

[Sorinth]

Nothing I saw in his game last year indicated that this was an AHL'er having a great year.

In fact, I find he's pretty underrated by here.

Meanwhile, I don't find Klefbom has taken the next step in his game but that may also be the Oilers affect.

Last year Kulak played like a legitimate NHLer. But he's still a question mark until he repeats, just like Domi being a 70 point center is a question mark until he can repeat.

Also keep in mind it's not just one player but the overall depth of that position. At LW, even without Drouin we still have Tatar, Lehkonen, Byron, even maybe Hudon if he gets back to where he was 2 years ago. I wouldn't go as far as saying LW is a strength, but it's not a weakness either. Whereas at LD, it's Mete, Kulak, Reilly, that's a weakness for the team. With Klefbom not only does our first pairing improve, but now Mete drops to the 2nd pairing which turns our 2nd pairing from an average 2nd pairing to a strong one. And the same goes for the 3rd pairing, we go from an average bottom pairing to a strong one (Assuming Kulak plays like last year).

To be fair to your points, I didn't watch Edmonton that much last season, so perhaps I'm overrating Klefbom since I do think highly of him.

 

[Guns n Roses]

Artichoke heart >>>>> Drouin’s heart

Hahahahahaha!

 

[Milhouse40]

Romanov will lace pro KHL experience, his transition will be smoother than you think; moreover, you can find a hidden gem in the system or through a bargain trade. The Habs lack talent, it would hurt their whole team to trade the few drops they own. Sometimes I wonder, have the TV clowns become the new priests? They repeat over again the Habs lose because they don't work hard enough. What proofs do they have, random screen shots? Those guys are not experts, they are colour guys making excuses for the bad owner making money.

Maybe and maybe not...i just don't want to have to wait 2 years to find out that Romanov end up being just another Beaulieu in the end and being still screwed on defence.

And enough of the bargain trade or fidding a gem in the system, that's what Bergevin has been doing for the last 2 years with absoluetely no results so far.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

Maybe and maybe not...i just don't want to have to wait 2 years to find out that Romanov end up being just another Beaulieu in the end and being still screwed on defence.

And enough of the bargain trade or fidding a gem in the system, that's what Bergevin has been doing for the last 2 years with absoluetely no results so far.

It hasnt given long term results (other than Byron and Benn), but it has absolutely given short term results.

Reilly was our best defenseman in the first 1/3 of the season, kulak and folin have been very solid after being acquired as well.
Weal helped us way way more than chaput.
Deslauriers was awesome in his first year with us.
etc.

They are unlikely to reproduce the good season they had next year over a full season, but they definitely did help us and gave us results after being acquired.

Bergevin is great at finding 'nobodies' that ends up playing well for us on the short term.

 

[Milhouse40]

It hasnt given long term results (other than Byron and Benn), but it has absolutely given short term results.

Reilly was our best defenseman in the first 1/3 of the season, kulak and folin have been very solid after being acquired as well.
Weal helped us way way more than chaput.
Deslauriers was awesome in his first year with us.
etc.

They are unlikely to reproduce the good season they had next year over a full season, but they definitely did help us and gave us results after being acquired.

Bergevin is great at finding 'nobodies' that ends up playing well for us on the short term.

I was talking about fixing the left side of the defense.

Reilly ended up on the bench for the rest of the season (cause no, he wasn't really good at the start of the season). Either it was Ouellet, Streit, Olofsson....we did try that route.

Kulak and Folin are bottom pairing D on a good team, we must find top 4 D.

 

[Manon Rheaume]

For the next season, the approach with our foward group should be ''wait and see''. I could see us getting a player like Duchene to solidify our top 6, but other than that, I think it will stay pretty much the same.

Drouin could turn things around and become a good offensive asset for the future. There's a few players that will get an audition with the Habs like Poehling, Suzuki, Evans and Kotkaniemi (if he can advance further in the line-up). Let's see where the chips may fall and if Drouin doesn't fit you can safely trade him.

I know a lot of fans are tired of being patient, but let's be realist, we are not contenders. We could be if we develop our prospect well.

The main reason I want to keep Drouin is bescause, with Domi, they were on fire when first reunited. If we'd go back to November, nobody would be willing to trade him. It was the closest thing we had to an elite line (take a look at the highlights of Domi for reference). For whatever reason Drouin slowed down and it's really unfortunate...

 

[Runner77]

Playing well with Domi, who brings a lot of talent to the table, is not exactly a litmus test. Drouin’s shortcomings are well documented as a 5 year NHL veteran. He is what he is at this point, he will disappear for long stretches, he’s a perimeter player, causes costly turnovers, has a poor work ethic and won’t pay the price to raise his game.

He had said that his excuse for poor play in his first season as a Hab was due to playing out of position. Well, he had his position in Year 2, was used with the team’s best players, played on the PP, had ice time until he showed himself incapable of contributing.

What other excuse do we need from him now? When is enough, enough? I think there are too many signs pointing to a great time to make a move.

 

[Rapala]

If the Habs were contenders I could understand trading Drouin. The Habs are not; and the Habs have tons of cap space; and Drouin might or not breakthrough from Platon's cavern next year. I don't see any logical incentives trading him; and I could if the Habs were one piece away from Lord Stanley; but they're not.

This is totally illogical. The idea of trading Drouin to shore up another position actually ends up allowing us to fill more than one hole. Do you think his value will increase if we hold him? Create the hole to fill it. We have too many soft players and we need a better balanced attack. I agree this is only a step in the right direction but you have to start somewhere. With the crop of free agents and the hopeful progression of the kids now is an ideal time to test his value. What in the actual bleep is Drouin bringing to us currently. The odd dangle?

 

[Montreal Impact FC]

What in the actual bleep is Drouin bringing to us currently. The odd dangle?

Flowing hair and amazing blindsided back passes (to whoever has the vision to get it, his teammate or his opponent... the later more othen than not)

 

[Scintillating10]

Last year Kulak played like a legitimate NHLer. But he's still a question mark until he repeats, just like Domi being a 70 point center is a question mark until he can repeat.

Also keep in mind it's not just one player but the overall depth of that position. At LW, even without Drouin we still have Tatar, Lehkonen, Byron, even maybe Hudon if he gets back to where he was 2 years ago. I wouldn't go as far as saying LW is a strength, but it's not a weakness either. Whereas at LD, it's Mete, Kulak, Reilly, that's a weakness for the team. With Klefbom not only does our first pairing improve, but now Mete drops to the 2nd pairing which turns our 2nd pairing from an average 2nd pairing to a strong one. And the same goes for the 3rd pairing, we go from an average bottom pairing to a strong one (Assuming Kulak plays like last year).

To be fair to your points, I didn't watch Edmonton that much last season, so perhaps I'm overrating Klefbom since I do think highly of him.

Both probably had career years. But we will see.

On Drouin was the offer Klefbom? I don't know him that well so can't comment. However, I was thinking the offer day trading Drouin for 3 second round picks? Use his cap hit to acquire a young asset or first round?

 

[Habs Halifax]

Both probably had career years. But we will see.

On Drouin was the offer Klefbom? I don't know him that well so can't comment. However, I was thinking the offer day trading Drouin for 3 second round picks? Use his cap hit to acquire a young asset or first round?

Drouin for 3 2nd round picks is a very low return. Don't overvalue the draft picks in terms of comparing them to a young forward who has 50-80 pts potential and is not in their prime years yet. Look a the relative value of draft picks... It drops off a lot after the 3rd OA. Arguably, Drouin is worth a pick from 4-10 range IMO but some say more, some say less.

 

[Scintillating10]

Drouin for 3 2nd round picks is a very low return. Don't overvalue the draft picks in terms of comparing them to a young forward who has 50-80 pts potential and is not in their prime years yet. Look a the relative value of draft picks... It drops off a lot after the 3rd OA. Arguably, Drouin is worth a pick from 4-10 range IMO but some say more, some say less.

5.5 million for 18 goals? I would do it just to move on. The 5.5 in caproom would buy me a pretty good first round pick. Or high end prospect/young player

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

It's not too late for Drouin to figure things out. We've seen stretches where he takes over games. I look back at that one Florida game and the Winnipeg game where he was as dominant a player as I've ever seen in a Habs jersey. Drouin's problem is between his ears. I'm not saying he's a low IQ player but something isn't right. Whether it's confidence or his drive I'm not sure but he needs a good start to next year to get on track.

Suzuki won't have that issue. He may not have the explosive speed that Drouin has but everything else is as good or better than Drouin. I'm not saying he's a sure fire star but he has all the tools and the IQ to be an elite NHL player. The only concern I have with him is that the NHL will be much quicker and bigger so he'll have to adapt his style a bit. He's smart and thinks the game quickly though so I'm not all too worried

Drouin did seemed to have it completely figure out last season.
46 pts in his first 55 games (69 pts pace)
What happened in the last 26 games just doesn't make sense. It was clearly not the real Drouin. He had pts in only 3 of the last 26 games.

I think he starts slow next season, but comes back to the 60-70 point pace he had in the first 2/3 of last season.

I think if we can sign a Duchene or Skinner, and have Drouin play all season with Domi or Duchene/Skinner, it will do wonders for him. He was at his best when he was playing with a skilled player like Domi rather than the Lehkonen, Byrons, etc.

 

[26Mats]

Drouin did seemed to have it completely figure out last season.
46 pts in his first 55 games (69 pts pace)
What happened in the last 26 games just doesn't make sense. It was clearly not the real Drouin. He had pts in only 3 of the last 26 games.

I think he starts slow next season, but comes back to the 60-70 point pace he had in the first 2/3 of last season.

I think if we can sign a Duchene or Skinner, and have Drouin play all season with Domi or Duchene/Skinner, it will do wonders for him. He was at his best when he was playing with a skilled player like Domi rather than the Lehkonen, Byrons, etc.

It's possible he faded when the checking and the games down the stretch got tighter.

We'll see. But yes, I definitely want to see him play with a skilled player, if not 2. But Julien likes to have a defensive player on each line. The thing with Skinner is, I don't think Drouin will be at his best opposite another small winger. He needs some size on his line to win board battles.

If Drouin-Domi-Shaw can outperform Lehkonen-Domi-Shaw, I'm all for re-uniting them. But if Lehkonen-Domi-Shaw is better, they're better. If that's the case, I'd like to see Drouin with KK and either Weal (small but tough) or Poehling:

Tatar Danault Gallagher
Lehkonen Domi Shaw
Drouin KK Weal/Poehling
Byron Weal/Poehling Armia

 

[Habs Halifax]

5.5 million for 18 goals? I would do it just to move on. The 5.5 in caproom would buy me a pretty good first round pick. Or high end prospect/young player

Grandlund, Schenn, Getzlaf, Backlund, Johnson, Hishier, Kadri, Bailey, Krieder, All of these guys had similar seasons and aside from Hishier, they all make similar money to Drouin (more or less).

I'm open to trading Drouin but doing it just to move on? No way in hell I'm trading him for cheap value return. Give me a 65 pts (+/-) value and I consider the deal.

Drouin had the 17th most points for LW players in the NHL this past year with the 31st most minutes.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Both probably had career years. But we will see.

On Drouin was the offer Klefbom? I don't know him that well so can't comment. However, I was thinking the offer day trading Drouin for 3 second round picks? Use his cap hit to acquire a young asset or first round?

Oilers won't be trading any of their D IMO.

 

[Fixxer]

Drouin wins the Hart next year and everyone is happy... ??

 

[OldCraig71]

Drouin wins the Hart next year and everyone is happy... ??

Drouin and hart in the same sentence.

 

[Runner77]

Oilers won't be trading any of their D IMO.

I think most of us will agree that the Oilers are not the Habs's best trading partner if a D has to come from their camp.

 

[Fixxer]

Drouin and hart in the same sentence.

Don't worry, I don't think he wins any individual award other than that CHL player of the year he got in 2013.

 

[ZUKI]

Drouin wins the Hart next year and everyone is happy... ??

"Habs fans" and "everyone is happy " can't be put together in the real life .Only in a fiction

 

[ahmedou]

Drouin wins the Hart next year and everyone is happy... ??

The Heart Attack? That's what you want to mean?

Nobody of our fanbase would be happy then. It's an undesirable trophy. For the majority of us. Like logically speaking.

 

[Miller Time]

Smart move would be to trade him this summer, for best return we can net.

Pressure will only mount on him, and he's shown himself not to be a player who excels under adversity of any kind.

If he's on the roster on opening day, and he's not lined up to an elite player he can coast off of, odds of his season being disastrous are much greater than the opposite (& his value will only decline further unless he improves significantly from last year)

MB's ego is, unfortunately, a major obstacle bc it's pretty clear we aren't getting top 8 draft pick value in return at this point.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful...