Top-six forward Jonathan Drouin and the Colorado Avalanche agreed to a one-year deal for $2.5 million on Monday. The parties have been in talks since Drouin was set to hit free agency on July 1.
The 29-year-old forward had a career year for his first in burgundy and blue. He ranked fourth on the team with 56 points (19g/37a) in 79 games and averaged 18:11 time on ice.
The Avalanche's GM Chris MacFarland said getting a deal done with Drouin and his agent, Allan Walsh was "a challenging one."
Related: 'It’s a great place to play hockey': Forward found home with Avalanche, hopes to return next season
"Jonathan Drouin had a very, very good season last year, and he's a very good hockey player," MacFarland said. "We are cap challenged. So there's those competing factors, right ... I do think that Jonathan was great for us but I also think the Avalanche were great for Jonathan as well."
The Ste-Agathe native missed the first eight games of the postseason due to injury but returned for the last three games and registered an assist in each, and earned career-high TOI in Game 6 with 29:31.
Drouin was with the Montreal Canadiens for six seasons prior to joining the Avs and struggled his last few. He missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2021 due to anxiety and sleep issues, and was optimistic with a new start in Colorado before the season started.
"Obviously I had tough years in Montreal so to come here and play with this team, find my way as the year went on, it was cool. Great bunch of guys, the staff is awesome. It’s a great place to play hockey," he said after the elimination loss to the Dallas Stars on May 17.
The 5-foot-11, 198-pound left wing had a slow start to the season but improved as he became more comfortable with the teams' systems and found his chemistry with his teammates.
"I'm really proud of him in the way he's played, the way he's handled the season and he's a great teammate. And whenever you can sort of see — creating offense is an important part of his game. So when you can kind of see the consistency and see all the work that he's putting in sort of come together," head coach Jared Bednar said . "He's playing with the right habits. He's playing with great purpose on both sides of the puck ... He really likes it here. We're glad we have him."
His QMJHL Halifax Mooseheads teammate, Nathan MacKinnon, played a part in bringing Drouin to Colorado when he hit free agency last year. The two won a Memorial Cup in 2013 before they were drafted — Drouin was picked third overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"Definitely my favorite teammate I've ever had. We really understand each other. We met when we were 12, 13 and share a lot of great moments in Halifax. Just really understand each other, and we get the best of each other. It's fun to be around him. I love talking hockey with him, different things that are on my mind, on his mind it's easy to get off our chest and hopefully he sticks around.
"It's no secret, I love the guy, I love playing with him. Everybody on the team loved him," MacKinnon said after the NHL Awards on June 27.
Drouin played the majority of the season on the top line with MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. With the pending return of captain Gabriel Landeskog, it is unknown where Drouin will move around in the lineup — but he's a versatile player who found success wherever he played with the team.
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