Jonathan Drouin has an excellent December in Colorado

When Jonathan Drouin signed a one-year, $825,000 contract in Colorado last summer, the objective was clear: he was going to take advantage of a chance to revive his career alongside his good friend Nathan MacKinnon. The two had destroyed everything in Halifax in junior, and they were going to try to recreate the magic in the NHL.

The problem was, at the start of the season, things quickly went sour. Drouin saw his playing time plummet, even being left out of the lineup on a few occasions.

We wondered if he would eventually bounce back… and in December, that’s exactly what he did.

After picking up just one point in eight games in October and five points in 12 games in November, Drouin seems to be getting comfortable in Colorado, with 10 points in 14 games this month.

That’s a pace of 0.71 points per game, which is not bad for a guy who isn’t even earning $1M this season.

Jonathan Drouin’s December: 2 goals + 8 assists in 14 games played (.71 pts/gm). https://t.co/dg58mr5pAN

– Allan Walsh (@walsha) December 30, 2023

Drouin’s playing time has increased significantly (he spends about four minutes more on the ice per game than in the first two months of the campaign), and the results are already being felt.

And for the past twenty days or so, he’s been a point machine. He has picked up at least one point in seven of his last eight games, amassing a total of eight points in the process.

It’s still a little shy on the goals front (he has just five in 34 games), but it’s already a lot better than his last season in Montreal (two goals in 56 games). And in any case, Drouin is there for his playmaking qualities, and he’s up to the task.

In fact, Drouin’s 21 points would place him fourth on the Habs at this level, tied with Sean Monahan. Only Nick Suzuki (30), Mike Matheson (25) and Cole Caufield (24) have scored more than him for the Tricolore.

In short, things seem to be looking up for Drouin in Colorado, and it’s good news to see that he’s starting to settle into his new uniform. All that remains is to see if he decides to sign a contract extension with the Avalanche, and if so, at what price.

In a gust

– I love it.

– Happy birthday to Nikita Scherbak.

– What a defenseman.

– Beautiful to see.

– A real bomb in the NBA.