Post-Game Talk: Montreal 3 Detroit 2: a forward finally scores

[Lafleurs Guy]

I'm divided on this. Drouin frustrates the hell out of me, so part of me wants to send him to his room without supper. Plus, the perception -- rightly or wrongly -- that he's pampered in this city adds to the desire to trade his ass outta here.

But on the other hand, he's got the single most coveted quality: Talent. We poke fun at Bergevin for choosing character over talent; well, Drouin's the poster boy for talent over character. He might be the perfect test case for how a player can be mentored into becoming a star.

He's a selfish player with talent. He's never going to be a star.

That being said, we don't need to get rid of the guy. People who are saying that if you rely on him as your primary scorer to win you'll never get anywhere are right. But that doesn't mean he can't be an asset for us. He's secondary scoring and that's how he should be viewed. He's good enough to be a sidekick to a good player and can chip in some goals here and there.

Our real problem is the lack of primary scorers. Domi looks like he might have that potential but it's very early days. Drouin can complement him but Domi's the guy pulling that train.

 

[Montrealer]

They were calling him Joel prior to him coming back from injury hence my lighthearted question.

On one of the recent broadcasts they mentioned they asked him and he said you could pronounce it either way and then they pressed and he said it was really pronouned "Yoel".

 

[Montrealer]

As for Drouin, he's the single most frustrating player I've seen in a long time.

Talent up the wazoo. Bricks for brains.

 

[Habs Icing]

I'm divided on this. Drouin frustrates the hell out of me, so part of me wants to send him to his room without supper. Plus, the perception -- rightly or wrongly -- that he's pampered in this city adds to the desire to trade his ass outta here.

But on the other hand, he's got the single most coveted quality: Talent. We poke fun at Bergevin for choosing character over talent; well, Drouin's the poster boy for talent over character. He might be the perfect test case for how a player can be mentored into becoming a star.

Cooper, Julien and even Ducharme have tried and to date have failed. It's time to put that hope to rest. Also, talent without hockey IQ is worthless just look at Yakupov. The Habs have teamed Drouin with the best possible center for him - a pass first center. A center who is continuously looking for him on the ice. And what does Drouin do? He continuously skates into the worst positions. It's almost like Drouin doesn't want to live up to his potential, subconsciously sabotaging himself.

Long ago I had a friend who was a fantastic guitarist but never went anywhere. Every time he was scheduled for an audition (in the states) or was asked to play on someone's album, every break he got he screwed up. Either broke his hand, showed up stoned when he showed up or wrote down the wrong time or address but with the rest of his life he rarely ever used drugs, was always punctual and never had any accidents. I'm not a psychologist nor do I play one on TV but there are some people who fear success and like my friend I think Drouin is one of them.

 

[OldCraig71]

I'm divided on this. Drouin frustrates the hell out of me, so part of me wants to send him to his room without supper. Plus, the perception -- rightly or wrongly -- that he's pampered in this city adds to the desire to trade his ass outta here.

But on the other hand, he's got the single most coveted quality: Talent. We poke fun at Bergevin for choosing character over talent; well, Drouin's the poster boy for talent over character. He might be the perfect test case for how a player can be mentored into becoming a star.

He certainly has talent but until he develops consistency he will not get to the next level and that for some reason seems to be a stumbling block for him. He seems content to turn it on when he wants to in the very same way that he disappears. It's about effort/interest level for him and that is not good enough. If and when he decides to change his approach to the game I will change my view but I just don't see it.

 

[Lshap]

Cooper, Julien and even Ducharme have tried and to date have failed. It's time to put that hope to rest. Also, talent without hockey IQ is worthless just look at Yakupov. The Habs have teamed Drouin with the best possible center for him - a pass first center. A center who is continuously looking for him on the ice. And what does Drouin do? He continuously skates into the worst positions. It's almost like Drouin doesn't want to live up to his potential, subconsciously sabotaging himself.

Long ago I had a friend who was a fantastic guitarist but never went anywhere. Every time he was scheduled for an audition (in the states) or was asked to play on someone's album, every break he got he screwed up. Either broke his hand, showed up stoned when he showed up or wrote down the wrong time or address but with the rest of his life he rarely ever used drugs, was always punctual and never had any accidents. I'm not a psychologist nor do I play one on TV but there are some people who fear success and like my friend I think Drouin is one of them.

Your musician friend sounds a lot like five or six musician buddies I've known.

I still think Drouin's young enough to learn, but maybe it comes down to what LG and Kriss said: Good supporting actor, bad leading man.

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

He's a selfish player with talent. He's never going to be a star.

That being said, we don't need to get rid of the guy. People who are saying that if you rely on him as your primary scorer to win you'll never get anywhere are right. But that doesn't mean he can't be an asset for us. He's secondary scoring and that's how he should be viewed. He's good enough to be a sidekick to a good player and can chip in some goals here and there.

Our real problem is the lack of primary scorers. Domi looks like he might have that potential but it's very early days. Drouin can complement him but Domi's the guy pulling that train.

I don't think that either Drouin or Domi will be the drivers on offense in the long run. But that doesn't mean they are not useful players.

 

[Fazkovsky]

As for Drouin, he's the single most frustrating player I've seen in a long time.

Talent up the wazoo. Bricks for brains.

I dont think it has to do with brains. He plays a weak game. He plays on perimeter and cant even go near the net. Size is an issue too i guess. Defensively, he has a bit of lack of brains though but he gets pushed easily.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Tired of these meaningless wins against bottom feeders just for us to get outclassed against decent teams smh

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

I'll wait to judge Drouin until we get the chance to see him in the playoffs, he had 14 points in 17 games as a 21 year old with the Lightning

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

I tempered my expectations a ton when we got Drouin, based on his reputation and prior performances, so I can't say I've been disappointed . He's a top 6 scoring winger who does his thing pretty much on his own time and terms. Ryder with more speed basically. You either live with it or trade him.

 

[Kriss E]

Your musician friend sounds a lot like five or six musician buddies I've known.

I still think Drouin's young enough to learn, but maybe it comes down to what LG and Kriss said: Good supporting actor, bad leading man.

He is similar to Patches and Kessel in that sense. I think Drouin might have more talent than those guys but they were more proven and accomplished. Bottom line is you cannot rely on those guys to be pulling your team forward. They need a lot of support.

 

[admiralcadillac]

Tired of these meaningless wins against bottom feeders just for us to get outclassed against decent teams smh

They're not as bad as people anticipated unfortunately

 

[Saundies]

We won. We didn't really deserve it, but we did and that keeps us in the thick of things.

We have to split up Domi and Drouin. Lately they remind me of two best friends that show up to an ice time with people they don't know; Domi is always looking to defer to him, no matter the situation and no matter how much he has to force the pass. The amount of soft passes and turnovers from that duo alone in the last couple of games has been maddening.

Also, if Claude is supposed to be a defense-first sort of coach, why is that line always the one tasked with holding a 1 goal lead with 1:30 left in the game?

 

[Montrealer]

I dont think it has to do with brains. He plays a weak game. He plays on perimeter and cant even go near the net. Size is an issue too i guess. Defensively, he has a bit of lack of brains though but he gets pushed easily.

For me it's when he's presented with a choice, he often does the most bonehaded thing imaginable (tries to skate through 4 opposing players; sends a no-look pass into 3 opposing players; tries a soft pass that is easily intercepted because it's trying to go through a blocked lane; etc)

Maybe it's not bricks for brains as much as it's a nonchalant attitude to the game, but I think that's even worse.

 

[Censored Toad]

If we are truly serious about the types of players that we want on our roster going forward I can't see a scenario where he is someone we intend to keep. He will continue to show a flash here and there(only when he feels like it) and that's not near enough.

Yes, its extremely ironic that a player who likely (opinion here) has some attitude issues (moody, lack of interest, not being challenged enough etc) ends up playing on a team that championed itself on "Attitude"

The warning signs were present prior to us picking him up from his outlook in Tampa... so his up and down type of play shouldn't come as a surprise. Is he a highly skill forward, sure. But he does need to be reeled in by our coaches /called out for his inconsistent play and sadly they seem apprehensive to touch him for "REASONS".
Maybe if his last name was Drouinski or Drouinskov it would be different.
I don't know how you motivate someone like JD.

Anyways, he is what he is, flashes of brilliance between periods of invisibility.

 

[Habs Icing]

He's a selfish player with talent. He's never going to be a star.

That being said, we don't need to get rid of the guy. People who are saying that if you rely on him as your primary scorer to win you'll never get anywhere are right. But that doesn't mean he can't be an asset for us. He's secondary scoring and that's how he should be viewed. He's good enough to be a sidekick to a good player and can chip in some goals here and there.

Our real problem is the lack of primary scorers. Domi looks like he might have that potential but it's very early days. Drouin can complement him but Domi's the guy pulling that train.

MB traded a blue chip prospect for secondary scoring. Why don't we just trade him for a prospect(s) who can develop into primary scorer(s). Domi will never be a scorer. He's a set up man who will get at best 25 goals. Look at the way he plays, he's constantly looking for his wingers. We can't afford to keep Drouin. We have no top line left wingers on the team nor do we have any prospects we can develop. If he stays on the team Drouin will be placed in that #1 left winger spot for the foreseeable future and that's not a good thing. What this management staff did with DD at center they will do with Drouin at left wing.

 

[LaP]

What is our record against Detroit and Ottawa this season?

 

[Deebs]

MB traded a blue chip prospect for secondary scoring. Why don't we just trade him for a prospect(s) who can develop into primary scorer(s). Domi will never be a scorer. He's a set up man who will get at best 25 goals. Look at the way he plays, he's constantly looking for his wingers. We can't afford to keep Drouin. We have no top line left wingers on the team nor do we have any prospects we can develop. If he stays on the team Drouin will be placed in that #1 left winger spot for the foreseeable future and that's not a good thing. What this management staff did with DD at center they will do with Drouin at left wing.

Drouin is on pace for 60ish points at $5.5M....that's pretty decent. He's frustrating as hell, but there are much worse deals out there.

 

[peate]

I'll wait to judge Drouin until we get the chance to see him in the playoffs, he had 14 points in 17 games as a 21 year old with the Lightning

We might be in for a long wait.

If Scotty Bowman coached this team, half would be benched for passes to l'Aveuglette.

 

[Tuggy]

What is our record against Detroit and Ottawa this season?

5-0 I believe.

 

[Milhouse40]

He certainly has talent but until he develops consistency he will not get to the next level and that for some reason seems to be a stumbling block for him. He seems content to turn it on when he wants to in the very same way that he disappears. It's about effort/interest level for him and that is not good enough. If and when he decides to change his approach to the game I will change my view but I just don't see it.

Do you notice that Drouin have his best games when he put up point on the board early in the game?
When things are going his way he seems to be the good Drouin, but when things gets though, he seems to simply go through the motions.

His game needs a lot of maturity and he's still got time to do it but i don't see him as a cornerstones of this team.....i wouldn't be afraid to trade him if it what it took to get a real top players (Like Tarasenko for example).

Since he's here, he's been given everything. 1st offensive line, 1st PP units and best linesmates possible. What i'm scared about him is how will he react if a LW pass him by and he starts losing some ice-time, some 1st PP minutes and not getting the best linesmates?

Of course, one good example of that is how he reacted in Tampa...

I'll wait to judge Drouin until we get the chance to see him in the playoffs, he had 14 points in 17 games as a 21 year old with the Lightning

He was also playing with Kucherov.....he makes me think too much of Pacioretty to feel confident about him being a beast in the PO when the games gets more physical.

 

[Habs Icing]

Drouin is on pace for 60ish points at $5.5M....that's pretty decent. He's frustrating as hell, but there are much worse deals out there.

If you want us to stay a wild card team then Drouin is not only decent but great. If you want us to contend Drouin needs to be shipped out. And I'm not talking about the cap space.

 

[Leon Lucius Black]

If you want us to stay a wild card team then Drouin is not only decent but great. If you want us to contend Drouin needs to be shipped out. And I'm not talking about the cap space.

Or if we want to contend we could keep Drouin and try to add offensive help to surround him/Domi.

 

[Deebs]

If you want us to stay a wild card team then Drouin is not only decent but great. If you want us to contend Drouin needs to be shipped out. And I'm not talking about the cap space.

Who are you getting in return that helps us contend?