Montreal Canadiens: Drouin thriving under Ducharme

Since being acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017,  Montreal Canadiens’ forward Jonathan Drouin has struggled to find an identity in Montreal. The Quebec native has been under pressure to perform after being traded for former first round pick Mikhail Sergachev, who is looking like a top-pair defenseman in Tampa Bay. Drouin has faced an abundance of adversity since landing in Montreal, but seems to be righting the ship under head coach Dominque Ducharme.

In the Summer of 2017, Montreal was abuzz with the news of former third overall pick Jonathan Drouin coming to town. The 25-year-old put up astronomical numbers in the CHL,  but wasn’t a good fit with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Although he came at a high asking price, Drouin was looked at to be a player that could take over a hockey game for the Canadiens.

Unfortunately, when Drouin arrived in Montreal he wasn’t put into a position to succeed. The Canadiens were not a good hockey team at the time and lacked depth at center. This led to Drouin being thrust into the role of first-line centreman where he ultimately struggled. The Canadiens finished 28th in the league and Drouin was a -28 on the year in 2017-18.

The experiment at center lasted one more season before Drouin was switched to the wing and started to show his true colors.

in 2019-20 Drouin came out of the gates flying and put up 12 points in 13 games in the Month of October. A wrist injury that required surgery derailed Drouin’s season as he was only able to dress for 27 games. Drouin’s hot start and flashes of brilliance left Habs’ fans wanting more.

Through 7 games to begin the condensed 2021-21 season, Drouin put up 8 points and was showing chemistry with  Nick Suzuki and Josh Anderson. Drouin finally received the offensively gifted line mates that he reacquired to be a game changing player.  Although he was putting up points, Drouin was rarely eclipsing 16 minutes a night.

Enter Dom Ducharme

There is a connection between Ducharme and Drouin, as Ducharme was the coach of the Halifax Mooseheads for the three years that Drouin was playing there. Under Ducharme in Halifax, Drouin reached the 100 point plateau two season in a row.

It seems as though the Halifax connection has returned, as Drouin has not played under 16 minutes a night with Ducharme at the helm. He played a career high 21:13 in the shootout win against Vancouver on March 20th.

Not only is Drouin receiving more ice time, he is playing cerebral hockey at both ends of the rink. A more engaged Drouin has taken on more responsibility defensively and is often the first forward on the backcheck if a turnover is made – something that was rare to see out of the gifted winger in his first years as a Hab. Although some nights the point production may not be there for Drouin, he is finding other ways to contribute to his team’s success.

When asked about his new bench boss, Drouin had high praise for Ducharme “I am used to having him (Ducharme) as a coach, I know what he expects from me. I don’t need to guess. He’s capable of challenging me, pushing me, and he knows my limits. He knows how to push me and its up to me to respond by giving more for him.”

Drouin is also on pace for the highest Corsi rating of his career. The talented winger currently sits at 54.90 CF% and is a reflection of how much the Canadiens control the puck and the play while he is on the ice.

With the hiring of Ducharme, Drouin has appeared to be given more freedom offensively. Under the system of Claude Julien, which was defensively structured, Drouin was seemingly limited to how much he could try and create with the fear of turning the puck over.

With the full support of Ducharme, look for Drouin to keep expressing himself offensively and continuing to improve his game in all three zones.

The real Jonathan Drouin has finally arrived and it appears he is here to stay.