Jonathan Drouin will leave the Canadiens very soon according to Guillaume Latendresse

PUBLICATION

Jeff Drouin
September 13, 2022 (2:55 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

Now that the Habs golf tournament has taken place, we can officially say that the activities surrounding the team's 2022-2023 season are well underway.

We are one month away from the start of the regular season and even if the expectations are rather modest for Martin St-Louis' men, some players should attract attention for all sorts of reasons this year.

There is Nick Suzuki, the new captain of the team, of course the first pick in the last draft Juraj Slafkovsky and also a certain Jonathan Drouin.

The one who traded the number 92 for the number 27, the number he wore with the Halifax Mooseheads and the Tampa Bay Lightning, should be back at his position for the beginning of the training camp and many Canadiens fans are hoping that he can come back strong after three seasons plagued by injuries and some personal problems.

Drouin is in the final year of his contract and it's not uncommon for a player to be able to boost his offensive production under these circumstances, talk to Nazem Kadri. And if Drouin were to have the best season of his career, could that mean Kent Hughes could offer him a new contract?

Maybe, but as Olivier Paiement of Danslescoulisses.com reports, don't expect miracles from him according to Guillaume Latendresse.

Speaking on 98.5, the TVA Sports analyst believes that this will be Jonathan Drouin's last season with the Habs and he also moderated expectations for his offensive production.

"I wish he could bounce back. But it didn't work out with Dominique Ducharme, his junior coach. It's often the same speech with Drouin. Yes, he has the talent, but he has to be able to put all the pieces together to do something good and it's harder on that side right now. Will he blossom? I think this is his last year in Montreal. He's a good player, but you have to expect him to be a 45-50 point player, not 75."

Guillaume therefore believes that this is the last year of Jo Drouin in Montreal, he expects Drouin to leave the CH at the end of the season (or at least, within a year).

Although Drouin has never scored more than 53 points in a season, it's not unrealistic to think that at 27 years old, he could have the best season of his career and Habs fans are all very anxious to see how number 27 will fare under Martin St-Louis.

However, the condition of his wrist could affect him and he is never safe from another bad luck. Since the Habs have a lot of depth on offense this year, lethargy could be fatal to his playing time.

But like the majority of hockey fans in Quebec, I hope to see Drouin express all his talent on the attack and wish him a great year of hockey.