The Colorado Avalanche have announced that they have signed free agent forward Jonathan Drouin. The contract is a one-year deal worth $825,000. Drouin spent the last six seasons with the Montreal Canadiens.
Colorado Ink Jonathan Drouin
Last season with the Canadiens, Drouin scored two goals and added 27 assists for 29 points in 58 games while averaging under 15 minutes per game.
Over his career, Drouin has scored 77 goals and added 204 assists for 281 points in 485 games between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens.
Drouin was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, third overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Drouin Reunited with Nathan MacKinnon
The Drouin signing will reunite him with junior teammate Nathan MacKinnon. Drouin and MacKinnon played together with the Halifax Mooseheads from 2011-2013 until they were both drafted into the NHL. Drouin spent another year in the juniors while MacKinnon went right to the NHL.
Drouin’s time in Montreal was a rollercoaster. Coming over on a high after being acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for stud defenceman Mikhail Sergachev, Drouin was thrown into a centre role that he had no business playing. However, he still managed to score 13 goals and 46 points in 77 games. He matched his career high in points the following season with 53.
Injuries started to pile up for the skilled winger following the 2018-19 season. He was off to a hot start scoring 15 points in 19 games before getting rocked by Alex Ovechkin and getting put out for an extended period of time. Coming back from injury it took Drouin a while to get back to being comfortable. Drouin did, however, score seven points in 10 games during the playoff run after the season was halted due to COVID-19.
Despite the injuries and the mental health issues Drouin has had off the ice, he is still an extremely valuable offensively gifted player. And he will certainly show this for the Avalanche this season. The chance to reunite with a player like MacKinnon could spark a resurgence in Drouin’s career and make for his best statistical season yet.
Main Photo: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
