Jonathan Drouin hasn’t had it easy over the past few years. Operations on each of his wrists and withdrawal from competition due to anxiety and insomnia issues kept him out of the game for several months. Going into the next campaign, the 27-year-old striker hopes his troubles are well and truly behind him.
• Read also: Carey Price: CH players have their fingers crossed
• Read also: A new forward for the Rocket
“Staying healthy is pretty much my goal. Both of my wrists have been operated on, so I shouldn’t have any problems at that level this year,” said number 92 on the sidelines of his annual golf tournament for the benefit of the Fondation du Center hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal. (CHUM).
The season, which will begin with the visit of the Maple Leafs on October 12, will be his sixth in a Canadian uniform.
Since this is the last campaign of the pact that Marc Bergevin granted him when he acquired it in June 2017, one can wonder if this is not his last with the blue-white-red sweater. on the back.
” It is reality. It’s something I can’t control. All I can control is having a good season. This is my last year of contract, so it may be my last in Montreal,” he said.
Very clever who can predict what the future holds for him. However, Drouin would not turn his back on the idea of continuing his association with the team he has cherished since childhood.
“I love playing in Montreal. We are betting on good young people and we had an excellent draft, ”he analyzed.
“Besides, maybe I should have had surgery in January,” he continued. I could have played for the last month with the new management group and the new coaching staff. I’m excited to go there. I saw the change when Martin [St-Louis]Kent Hughes and Mr. [Jeff] Gorton have arrived. It’s going in the right direction, and I can’t wait to get into it. »
A demanding market
With an annual income of $5.5 million, Drouin is currently the team’s fourth highest-earning forward behind Nick Suzuki, Brendan Gallagher and Sean Monahan.
Due to the constraints imposed by the salary cap, the Quebecer will very likely have to accept a reduction in salary if he wishes to remain in Montreal.
In doing so, he would perhaps return a little more in the good graces of several supporters who, rightly or wrongly, have not hesitated to vilify him in the public square for a few years.
In this regard, Drouin, who had always maintained that he was not afraid of pressure, admitted that it took him a little time to tame the whirlwind of “Mecca” of hockey.
“I’ve watched the Canadiens all my life, but I can’t say I was ready for this. You have to live it for a few years to understand it. For the past two or three years, I’ve become more comfortable with the Montreal market. »
Health and constancy
Besides, does Drouin consider that he has demonstrated the type of player he really was during these five seasons?
“At times, yes. To others, no, he replied. Last year I had a good start to the season. Even though the team was not doing well, I was happy with my start to the season. It was fine the way I saw it after the camp I had known. »
At the Christmas break, he was third in points with 16 points, only two less than Nick Suzuki, then team leader.
Constancy and health are the two words that came up most often during this press briefing. If he manages to meet these two conditions, Drouin may finally be able to do himself justice.