FACT: Jonathan Drouin Looks Like He's Ready To Have A Career Year
Oh fuck. Here I’ve been all summer just completely counting the Montreal Canadiens out of the 2018-19 NHL season already, and in comes Jonathan Drouin looking like the newest member of the Traveling Jagrs. If I’m the rest of the Atlantic Division right now, I am absolutely horrified. Because this was Jonathan Drouin the night he was drafted.
Looks like a sweet boy, right? The kind of lad who says “yes sir” and “sorry sir”. Clean cut, clean shaven though has most likely never needed to shave a day in his life up to that point. He’s like a little French Canadian angel. But then he has a few years with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Those years are not necessarily too good to him. He had that weird stretch of time where he was sent down to the AHL and just disappeared from the team. Flat out refused to stay. Told Stevie Y to pick up his phone and trade him. Then Yzerman didn’t budge, Drouin finally caved, got back on the ice, had a pretty decent 2016-17 season with the Bolts and then was immediately traded that offseason to Montreal where he had to play for that dumpster fire of an organization last year. 13 goals in 77 games for Drouin in Montreal last year, not exactly ideal. But heading into this upcoming season? Looking like this?
Advertisement
That’s got “100-point scorer” written all over it. Drouin has never really had a chance to light the NHL on fire yet. He had 32 points his rookie year, 10 points the year after that, 53 was his high in that final year in Tampa, and then he had 46 points last year. He’s been good in spurts, but he hasn’t had a solid chance to be great yet. But that greatness is in him for sure. He had back to back years in the QMJHL where he put up over 100 points. One of those seasons was with Nathan MacKinnon, but the other was without. So clearly he can do it on his own, and with that flow and the Jagr beard? Anything is possible.
All I’m saying is that things weren’t exactly looking great for the Habs between the whole Weber injury, trading away Alex Galchenyuk and most likely moving Max Pacioretty at some point. But as long as you have Carey Price between the pipes and as long as you have Jonathan Drouin looking like that? Anything is possible.