Montreal Canadiens: What About Jonathan Drouin?

Some people thought they spotted Jonathan Drouin in a video posted by the Montreal Canadiens on Twitter after winning Game 3.

The video shows Josh Anderson celebrating with staff and other players, including one who looked a lot like Drouin, but according to TVA Sports reporter Marc-André Perrault, it wasn’t him.

However, that raises the question, where is Drouin at? How is he doing? Will he ever be back to play with the Canadiens? And if so, when?

Let me start by saying that I wish him all the best in his personal and professional life, and a speedy recovery from whatever it is that he is going through right now.

As much as I would love to see him play with the Canadiens again, I don’t think that will be happening anytime soon.

He took a leave of absence for personal reasons in April, and we haven’t heard about him since, which makes sense, since I’m guessing, he wants it to be that way.

But that also means everything is up in the air. It’s highly unlikely Drouin will be back this postseason, and I think chances are he will be looking to be traded during the offseason, that is if general manager Marc Bergevin isn’t already looking into something.

The Canadiens have the option to leave him exposed in the Draft Expansion, allowing the Seattle Kraken to take him, but he’s a valuable player and I don’t think that’s the best option.

However, not protecting him would mean having the possibility of protecting another player they really want to keep, so it’s not as easy a decision as it seems.

Personally, I don’t believe leaving Drouin unprotected is worth the risk, as many good trades could be made with Drouin and even other players.

The Canadiens will have 11 UFAs and five RFAs at the end of this season, so a package deal could be made as well.

Drouin is an amazing play-maker and although he lacked the results in goals this season, he had them in assists, and that’s not something that should be overlooked. He might have a “pass first” mentality over a “shoot first” one, but that doesn’t make him much less valuable.

As big of a fan that I am of the Tyler Toffoli – Nick Suzuki – Cole Caufield line, I would’ve loved to see him play and develop chemistry with Cole Caufield. Watch him set up goals for him and watching Caufield learn from him would be amazing, but might not be possible.

Whatever might end up happening with Drouin, I will always be a big fan of him and everything he’s done for the city. He’s an incredible person and player, and most Habs fan thinks so too.

And just in case you don’t believe me, I hope that’s enough proof. Habs fans miss him and hope to see him back and healthy soon.

For some reason, this all sounds like goodbye, but I will always cheer for Drouin, no matter where he ends up.