EXCLUSIVE: The end is in sight for Jonathan Drouin in Colorado

When Jonathan Drouin became a free agent in the summer of 2023, we suspected he wouldn’t be back in Montreal. The Québécois looked like a guy who was due for a fresh start… and of course, Colorado quickly stood out as the logical destination.

The reason? Nathan MacKinnon, with whom Drouin broke it off in junior, wanted to reunite with his old teammate.

And with the Avalanche, Drouin enjoyed two fine seasons. He amassed 56 points in 79 games in 2023-24 and 37 points in 43 games this year. Clearly, a move to Colorado was good for him.

However, Drouin will become a free agent again on July 1… and according to colleague Maxime Truman, there’s reason to believe that Drouin’s time with the Avalanche is coming to an end.

The chances of seeing him again in Colorado next year would be “very slim”.

I’m told that, as of June 13, the chances of Jonathan Drouin extending his association with the Avalanche are very slim.

The former Canadien is said to have a few Western teams – and far fewer Eastern ones – on his list. He should make a decision about his future..

– Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) June 13, 2025

Colleague Truman notes that Drouin has a few teams on his list, but those teams are mostly in the West. A team like the Stars, for example, could make sense for Drouin, for whom there will be interest on July 1.

In addition to the Stars, other teams in the West could be interested in the Québécois: think of the Sharks and Blackhawks, for example, who have money to spend and could benefit from a talented guy like Drouin to mentor their young core.

And if we ever look east, maybe the Blue Jackets could make sense as a destination.

We’ve also learned that the Québécois would like to sign a contract longer than one year. Remember that his last two contracts, signed in Colorado, were one-year deals… and obviously, you’d think he’d want a bit of stability in his next deal.

Of course, everything can change quickly in the hockey world. That said, as of today, there’s reason to believe that Drouin’s future in the NHL may not be in Colorado (which must be thinking about Cale Makar’s future and just gave Brock Nelson a big contract).

But as we all know, everything can change with one call…

Overtime

– Good news for the Québécois.

The Penguins have re-signed forward Boko Imama to a one-year contract.

The contract will run through the 2025.26 campaign and carries an average annual value of $775,000 at the NHL level.

Details: https://t.co/4h6aG6vOxR pic.twitter.com/LPNsRdDXEu

– Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 13, 2025

– Minor NHL transaction.

The Blackhawks have traded the rights to defenseman Victor Söderström to the Bruins for a seventh-round pick and defenseman prospect Ryan Mast.

– Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) June 13, 2025

– Nice read.

“The QMJHL is a development circuit. We need to build on that to keep our distinctiveness.” – Jocelyn Thibaulthttps://t.co/HoTBV75wzV

– Jérôme Gaudreau (@JeromeGaudreau) June 13, 2025