Hughes has clearly stated his position regarding Jonathan Drouin's future with the Canadiens

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Jeff Drouin
October 12, 2022 (10:07 PM)

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It was without Jonathan Drouin in the starting lineup that the Habs began their regular season against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre.

If for some it means the end for him in the tricolour uniform, it is absolutely not the case for his general manager Kent Hughes. A few hours before the opening of the season, Hughes spoke about the Drouin file. He was reassuring about the Quebec forward and, like Martin St-Louis, he chose the right words, emphasizing that he still wanted to work with him.

Jo is coming back from an injury and he was sick during camp," said Hughes. He missed part of camp. I think there was a concern also about giving him too many games, since he was coming back from an injury and a long absence. Jo is a little late.

But he is part of our team. We have 14 forwards, we have 14 good forwards. Jo and Martin have a very positive dialogue. I don't see any problem with that. Jo is a good teammate. I also like that there will be healthy competition among our players. We also know that a team rarely stays completely healthy."

As for what's next for Jonathan Drouin's career, Hughes said it's up to him to dictate his future, not only in Montreal but across the NHL. However, the Habs GM was rather vague when asked about his future with the Habs.

Jo is in the last year of his contract, he is not the only one in this situation with the Habs. The players who show us that they can continue to contribute to the team's success will have a future with the team. But I can't answer that right now."

Without wanting to get too far ahead, Hughes has in a way probably signified the end of the association between his team and the Quebec forward with this statement.

The number 27 runs out this season the last year of his contract signed in the summer of 2017 when Marc Bergevin had given him a six-year pact to the tune of 5.5 million dollars per season.