Is Jonathan Drouin on the verge of officially leaving the Montreal Canadiens? His next destination may have just been potentially targeted

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Elias Adaime
May 16, 2023 (11:14)

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Jonathan Drouin has likely played his last game with the Montreal Canadiens. Unless there is a major change of direction, he will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st without compensation.

It will be interesting to see if he can find work again in the NHL. Away from the pressure of Montreal and with a salary that reflects his role on a team, he could be a very interesting asset for a team aspiring to great achievements.

The easy connection would be to see him reunited with his former junior teammate, Nathan MacKinnon.

But would the Avalanche be a good fit for the Quebecer? Here's what journalists Evan Rawal from Colorado Hockey Now and Marco D'Amico from Montreal Hockey Now think about this idea.

"On a low-value one-year contract in a different market with less pressure and an established core, he could likely thrive and be a very solid complementary player." - Marco D'Amico

If the Avs' GM, Chris MacFarland, really wants Drouin, he will have to find a way to fit him into the team's salary cap. Fortunately, with Landeskog ending up on LTIR, they will have around $20 million to fill eight jerseys. However, it can be assumed that Bowen Byram will take a good portion of that, and the Avalanche will be active in targeting help for the top two lines, which will undoubtedly require some cap space. But having Drouin at a low price, playing in the top-9, would be a great addition considering how the 3rd and 4th lines performed during the current playoff series.

Given this information, here's what the two journalists conclude:

"So why not Drouin? He will likely come at a very affordable price, he has skills, and yes, there's the MacKinnon connection. He also adds some versatility as he has adapted to playing center over the years. Expectations just need to be realistic at this stage of his career. You bring him in for cheap, take him out of the crazy hockey market that Montreal is, and see if you can catch lightning in a bottle. After all these years, it starts to make sense."

Indeed, it seems like an identified target that makes a lot of sense!

Via HF