EXCLUSIVE: The end is in sight for Jonathan Drouin in Colorado

Dose
Crédit:

When Jonathan Drouin became a free agent in the summer of 2023, we suspected he wouldn’t be back in Montreal. The Québécois looked like a guy who was due for a fresh start… and of course, Colorado quickly stood out as the logical destination.

The reason? Nathan MacKinnon, with whom Drouin broke it off in junior, wanted to reunite with his old teammate.

And with the Avalanche, Drouin enjoyed two fine seasons. He amassed 56 points in 79 games in 2023-24 and 37 points in 43 games this year. Clearly, a move to Colorado was good for him.

However, Drouin will become a free agent again on July 1… and according to colleague Maxime Truman, there’s reason to believe that Drouin’s time with the Avalanche is coming to an end.

The chances of seeing him again in Colorado next year would be “very slim”.

Colleague Truman notes that Drouin has a few teams on his list, but those teams are mostly in the West. A team like the Stars, for example, could make sense for Drouin, for whom there will be interest on July 1.

In addition to the Stars, other teams in the West could be interested in the Québécois: think of the Sharks and Blackhawks, for example, who have money to spend and could benefit from a talented guy like Drouin to mentor their young core.

And if we ever look east, maybe the Blue Jackets could make sense as a destination.

We’ve also learned that the Québécois would like to sign a contract longer than one year. Remember that his last two contracts, signed in Colorado, were one-year deals… and obviously, you’d think he’d want a bit of stability in his next deal.

Of course, everything can change quickly in the hockey world. That said, as of today, there’s reason to believe that Drouin’s future in the NHL may not be in Colorado (which must be thinking about Cale Makar’s future and just gave Brock Nelson a big contract).

But as we all know, everything can change with one call…

Overtime

– Good news for the Québécois.

– Minor NHL transaction.

– Nice read.