Montreal Canadiens: Jonathan Drouin Knows He Needs to be Consistent

Jonathan Drouin struggled offensively and defensively in the second half of the 2018-19 season after playing at a career-year pace for the Montreal Canadiens in the first half. However, it seems he is dedicated to finding some consistency.

In his third season with the Montreal Canadiens, Jonathan Drouin tied his career-best of 53 points which he had achieved with the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2016-17 regular season. It seemed as if Drouin would be able to achieve a new career-high, but those expectations faded away after a tough final 41 games.

When the second half of the season began, Drouin started showing up on the scoresheet a lot less often than earlier. Unfortunately, when he did, it was due to a defensive error that led to a goal against. Drouin will never be the perfect two-way player as most of his skills are catered towards the more offensive parts of the game, but he cannot risk being a liability.

While Max Domi continued to exceed all expectations fans and media had for him, it seemed as if Jonathan Drouin stagnated.

Finding His Game

Per Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, Jonathan Drouin called up Canadiens assistant coach Dominique Ducharme so they can look over footage of what he’s been doing.

By looking at old videos of himself, as well as players that resemble his style of play, Drouin will hopefully be able to find ways to play more consistently and not disappear for long periods of time.

Reaching out to Dominique Ducharme on his own accord should be enough to show how Drouin is concerned with his play and dedicated to being better this upcoming season. At 24 years of age, there is still time for Drouin to establish what kind of role he’ll play on an NHL team.

We have seen that he has the tools to be a dominant player during games, but his decision-making and long stretches of nothing have held him back. If he can solve these issues, reaching 60-70 points per season can be a realistic expectation. Giving up on a 24-year-old is premature.

The Montreal Canadiens are going to need Jonathan Drouin to be at his best in their battle for a playoff spot next season in an Atlantic Division that keeps on getting harder to play in each passing year.

If it does not work out with Drouin next season, Claude Julien and Marc Bergevin will have to make some important decisions.