Pat Hickey: Jonathan Drouin’s time with Canadiens is running short

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Jonathan Drouin could also be driving off into the sundown with out ever giving Montreal followers a possibility to see how good he may very well be.

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When the Canadiens meet the Detroit Purple Wings Friday evening, Drouin shall be a wholesome scratch for a second consecutive recreation and he’s taking a look at a season as an costly spare half.

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The 27-year-old got here to coaching camp with expectations of a comeback season after three years of coping with wrist accidents and a timeout to cope with anxiousness and sleeping points. However his preseason efficiency was lacklustre — to be honest, he was sick for a part of the camp — and the left wing spots have been crammed by gamers who provided one thing Drouin couldn’t.

Josh Anderson, who scored the successful aim Wednesday in opposition to Toronto, is the right complement to Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield on the highest line. He has velocity and talent however, extra importantly, he’s keen to make use of his bodily presence to intervene when opponents take liberties along with his smaller linemates.

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There was a query mark about Sean Monahan’s availability for the season opener as a result of he’s coming off hip surgical procedure. However Monahan confirmed he was prepared by scoring a aim and enjoying a stable recreation. He’s a confirmed sniper with seven consecutive 20-goal seasons from 2013-20, together with three with greater than 30 targets.

Rem Pitlick, a waiver declare from Minnesota final 12 months, has a spot on the fourth line as a result of he has some chemistry with centre Jake Evans and he’s versatile. Pitlick can rating, play a 200-foot recreation and kill penalties.

After which there’s rookie Juraj Slafkovsky. The Canadiens are closely invested within the No. 1 total draft choose and he’ll play for so long as he reveals progress on the NHL stage. He’ll be allowed to make errors, however shall be anticipated to study from them.

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Drouin’s greatest probability to showcase his abilities will come when head coach Martin St. Louis decides Slafkovsky wants a break to look at the motion from the press field or is distributed to the Laval Rocket.

Drouin is within the remaining 12 months of a six-year cope with a cap hit of US$5.5 million — he’s the workforce’s third-highest paid ahead — and it’s secure to say he has by no means lived as much as the promise of a participant who was drafted third total by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2013. When former basic supervisor Marc Bergevin despatched defenceman Mikhail Sergachev to Tampa Bay to accumulate Drouin, the hope was that he could be the following nice homegrown star.

As an alternative, the commerce goes down as the most important gaffe of Bergevin’s tenure. Sergachev has blossomed as a top-four defender with a few Stanley Cup rings whereas folks in Montreal surprise why a participant with Drouin’s expertise is likely to be close to the top of his profession.

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Throughout 5 seasons in Montreal, he has averaged 0.6 factors a recreation, which interprets to a 49-point season. His solely 20-goal season was six years in the past, when he scored 21 for the Lightning.

With the emphasis on improvement, there’s no room for Drouin within the workforce’s future and that is the place the dilemma lies. Basic supervisor Kent Hughes wish to flip gamers with expiring contracts for draft picks on the commerce deadline, however it will likely be troublesome if Drouin doesn’t get an opportunity to point out groups what he can do. And he wants to shine his resumé earlier than he turns into an unrestricted free agent subsequent summer season.

He definitely gained’t be getting any US$5.5 million gives, however he can hope to keep away from the embarrassing scenario that confronted Alex Galchenyuk, who was the third total choose by the Canadiens in 2012. One of the best the 28-year-old Galchenyuk may handle was an expert tryout with the Colorado Avalanche. He was launched on Sept. 28 after per week.

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For the child who has the whole lot: With the vacation season across the nook, Zamboni, the NHL and Kool Karz Playground have unveiled an electrical ride-along Zamboni. Designed for age 3 to eight, the battery-powered toy options the Zamboni machine’s distinctive horn sound, a “snow assortment tank” for storage, working headlights, foam tires and a media centre with a speaker providing Bluetooth, USB and SD card connectivity. It’s yours for $399.

phickey@postmedia.com

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