Drouin is not a center ...plain and simple.
Why ?
Drouin is all about explosion. Drouin does everything at 100 mp/h.....his speed, his speed, his release , dis puck distribution etc..
When he was on the wing in Halifax or Tampa...he did a lot of damage because he needed only 2 or 3 seconds to from his blue line to the goal...he surprised defensemen with his unbelievable hands and his explosion.
The problem for him at center is that he needs to help his defensemen behind the goal line and he is always behind the play sur la contre attaque..
At center..he can't use is strengh as often than on the wing.
Lafleur and Richer had a good vision as well but their game was all about explosion, shots and montée à l'emporte pièce.
Drouin is like that....not a 50 goal scorer obviously but you guys can see what I mean.
Interesting take. I think you can be explosive and do the things Drouin does with the puck and still be a good center.
Gomez played a lot like how you describe Drouin and was pretty effective as a center in his prime. But he also made smart decisions on the ice, did not give up on plays when he did not have the puck, played aggressive and paid attention to details.
You have extra responsibilities as a center and you need to do those things at an adequate level to fulfil the role. Especially if your point production is not world class. Not sure Drouin has it in him, and if he doesn't he should be put on the wing.
And to answer the op question, if he's as committed as he pretends he'll surely improve, but he may still not be good enough at the center position on a winning team.