Jonathan Drouin is “completely different from the player he was a month ago”.

This summer, Jonathan Drouin left the Canadiens to try and revive his career in Colorado. He would be reunited with his lifelong friend, Nathan MacKinnon, and join the Avalanche, a team where he wouldn’t have the pressure of being the club’s big offensive player.

It was pretty much the perfect scenario for him… but…

Things quickly went downhill for Drouin, who quickly found himself on the fourth line and even in the stands. He really could have crashed, but instead he got back up, and it’s paying off.

In his team’s last two games, he spent 21:36 and 25:22 minutes on the ice. He’s back on the first line, playing with MacKinnon.

And the chemistry between the two guys is still there.

Drouin MacKinnon #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/jvBpH0y0oH

– Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 6, 2023

Drouin’s point totals are still shy (two assists in his last six games, and both came in the same game), but beyond the points, he’s getting rave reviews in Colorado.

Evan Rawal(Colorado Hockey Now) even goes so far as to say that, right now, “Drouin is completely different from the player he was a month ago”.

Whether it’s his hockey IQ or his playmaking skills, it’s clear that Drouin is making his mark in Colorado. And Jared Bednar has been rewarding him with plenty of ice time ever since.

It’s great to see that Drouin hasn’t given up after a difficult start to the season, and that he’s rolled up his sleeves to get back on the road to success. It seems to be working for him, and we hope it stays that way.

Another CH alumnus, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, is having a completely different season to Drouin. After a strong start to the campaign in which he scored 13 points in his first 14 games, he has scored just two points in his last 12 games.

I don’t know if he’s hit a wall, but he’s clearly slowed down.

The two former Tricolore players are having two completely different seasons, and while KK seemed to dominate at the start of the campaign, it’s Drouin who’s been getting the praise for a while now.

We’ll see how all this evolves in the weeks and months to come.

Breaking news

– Tristan Luneau leaves the Ducks for the Team Canada Junior camp.

– Jayden Struble and Devon Levi reunited before tonight’s match. Jordan Harris, who also played with them in the NCAA, was unfortunately not present.

– Kaiden Guhle: after midnight, he forgets everything that happened in today’s game and moves on to the next one. I like the concept.

Every athlete has his or her own technique for leaving a difficult evening behind. For Kaiden Guhle, it’s the midnight rule, which served him well on Thursdayhttps://t.co/SCfjjdvnYG

– Guillaume Lefrançois (@glefrancoisLP) December 9, 2023

– Obviously.

– Again and again.