Colorado journalist puts Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon on the same trio

After six seasons with the Canadiens, Jonathan Drouin has moved to Colorado for the rest of his career. In need of a change of scenery, he signed for $825,000.

In the worst-case scenario, it doesn’t work out and he’ll have cost peanuts. But in the best-case scenario, he becomes a bargain.

We know that Denver was a logical destination for him. After all, there’s less pressure there than in Montreal – apart from the atmospheric pressure, of course – and he’ll no doubt be able to be himself.

What’s more, he’ll be reunited with his friend Nathan MacKinnon, with whom he had a successful junior career with the Halifax Mooseheads. Together, they won the Memorial Cup under Dominique Ducharme.

They were drafted among the top three players in the 2013 auction. Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic took a chance on MacKinnon, while Steve Yzerman and Julien BriseBois chose the Quebecer over Tampa Bay.

We know that MacKinnon pushed for his team to sign Drouin, but we still wonder if they’ll play together. But according to Peter Baugh, who covers the Avalanche for The Athletic, it makes sense to move Drouin to his friend’s left wing.

Obviously, the fact that captain Gabriel Landeskog went down fighting last year and isn’t yet able to return will give Drouin some quality playing time – if he steps up and plays up to his talent.

But it’s interesting to see that Drouin, in the reporter’s line-up, takes precedence over Artturi Lehkonen, for example.

After all, Lehky is important to Colorado’s success, and we know MacKinnon loves him. Since leaving Montreal before the 2022 playoffs, the European has taken Denver to another level.

He’s clearly an important element for Colorado.

I’d like to see Drouin succeed with MacKinnon, because it’ll be a great story. But in a club aiming for top honors, he’ll have to earn his playing time with the best player on his team.

Away from Montreal, it’s not impossible.

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