A Jonathan Drouin-Less Montreal Canadiens Team
By Omar L
The Montreal Canadiens may be without Jonathan Drouin for Thursday’s game. If he does, we may see how valuable he really his to the team.
Injuries haven’t been too much of an issue for the Montreal Canadiens. The man-games lost so far have mostly been in the range of, “oh that’s unfortunate,” however, the more recent ones have made fans sweat a little bit.
Losing Carey Price to that minor lower-body injury was one thing, but the team may be without Jonathan Drouin for a little wall. The 23-year-old took a puck to the hand on Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights and was absent from the third period. Additionally, Drouin was given a maintenance day on Wednesday and didn’t take part in practice.
So let’s weigh out the worst case scenarios here. If Drouin sits out of the Wild game, the resulting roster could resemble what the lineup would look like if Marc Bergevin made the team. The main difference would be that Mikhail Sergachev would be playing instead of Victor Mete.
All jokes aside, we may learn just how vital Drouin is to the Montreal Canadiens. With all due respect to them, Tomas Plekanec, Torrey Mitchell, Phillip Danault, and Byron Froese don’t necessarily invoke fear. It’s hard to think that Mitchell will be able to provide Alex Galchenyuk and Artturi Lehkonen have been getting these past few games.
Drouin drives possession on the Habs and the four assists he has this season have all been primary assists which speak to his impact on team offense. Montreal will miss his speed and creativity as well. Think back to how many odd-man rushes that line had against Vegas.
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Yes, the Montreal Canadiens still have Brendan Gallagher, Galchenyuk (who could play center, just saying Mr. Julien), and Max Pacioretty to generate scoring, but Drouin not being there will be felt on the ice.
On the other hand, similarly to how Charlie Lindgren has filled the void in Price’s absence, perhaps the whole team can come together and prove they can have success without him.
As much as this game is just another step towards the U.S. Thanksgiving Checkpoint, Montreal can make a statement with it as well. Losing a player of Drouin’s caliber is tough, but you still want to have confidence that the other 22 men on the team can find a way to win.
If Minnesota takes it to Montreal, the center narrative will be a focal point again. Keep in mind this is all under the assumption that Drouin doesn’t play. The team can announce that he’ll take the ice and all will be fine (relatively speaking). However, it’ll be interesting to see how the Montreal Canadiens fair without him if he does sit out.
Next: Gallagher and Shaw Sparking the Habs
How do you think the Montreal Canadiens will fair without Drouin? Let us know down below.