Avalanche News
Jonathan Drouin Lands Big Two-Year Contract With Islanders
Jonathan Drouin’s stint with the Avalanche has officially come to an end.
After spending two years in Colorado’s top six, Jonathan Drouin signed a two-year deal with the New York Islanders on Tuesday, and will make $4 million per season.
Drouin had 37 points in 43 regular-season games for the Avs after posting 56 in 79 games the year before. The 30-year-old was a solid fill-in for Gabe Landeskog but was demoted to the third line in the playoffs and was unable to be much of a factor on that line.
Landeskog’s return is likely part of the reason why Drouin was not brought back.
Drouin made just $3.325 million in two seasons with the Avs. The $8 million he’ll make with the Islanders is a much-deserved pay raise for a player that has posted great regular-season numbers.
After Ryan Lindgren, Drouin is the second Avs skater to depart in free agency.
Drouin will play under former Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy on Long Island.
Deen’s Daily: Decentralized Draft is Staying; Kovalenko’s NHL Stint Ends
Former Avalanche Forward Is Heading Back to the KHL
Deen’s Daily: What Are the Avs Doing at 3C?; Sharks Add 2 Veterans
7 Trade Targets That Could Solve the Avalanche’s 3C Hole (+)
Deen’s Daily: Manson Re-Signs; Dallas Dumps Dumba — RHD Always Have Value
Avalanche UFA Board: Bottom Six Depth Options Remain on The Market
‘There’s One Big Goal Still’: Burns is Excited to Join Avs
Deen’s View: At 40, Burns Isn’t Done Yet — But Where Does He Fit on Colorado’s Blue Line? (+)
Report: Avalanche Used Charlie Coyle to Solve Their Miles Wood Problem
Deen’s Daily: Ehlers Heads East; Burns Itching For a Stanley Cup; Trades Coming?
What a colossal mistake by the Islanders. Good luck if Drouin will even play half the games. Hey, good for him. But not necessarily bad for the Avs. Absent some deals, it looks like lots of Eagles will be on the big time club.
They’ve got the space and need more offense; they have 22 roster players with $7M still to spend. For two years, it’s worth the risk to them.
Good for him; I hope it works out
I wish him the best, though i could possibly see him landing in Patrick’s dog house if he doesn’t produce well. We’ll see what happens.
Are the avs going to do anything.
I mean holy hell? Why clear all that cap and not even doing anything. 1st rd exit for sure.
The Avs don’t ever really do much in UFA and they definitely don’t make splashes. They usually wait until the dust settles then try to find role-players that couldn’t get deals elsewhere. Still plenty of time for trades, too.
Pearson at 1 million or koepke at 1 million
Or perbix at 2.7 or bernard-docker at 875k
Those would’ve been good depth signings.
Never was a big Drouin guy. I’ll give him credit for at least becoming a palatable defensive forward while here. But he wasn’t productive away from Mackinnon or PP 1. And when the games get tighter he’s another one of those guys who can’t muck it up. I have no clue why the Islanders want him. But I’m honestly surprised with this UFA market being as trash as it is. That some team didn’t offer him more term & a higher AV. Clearly he didn’t have a ton of suitors, because I doubt Long Island was on his short list… Read more »
i welcome this change and hope things work out better there, but we can do better.
Drouin is the current generation’s Anson Carter. On fire with the right line mates, but hum-drum in any other situation. My feeling is he and Patty are going to have a dramatic relationship.
I don’t think players/teams realize how much of a guy’s stats coming from the Avs are a function of MacKinnon and Makar…their play making ability, the attention they draw, etc. I think you saw that with Moose and while I hope it is not true, I don’t expect Drouin to do anything in NY.
They know it; we’re too deep into the analytics for them not to. What they’re hoping is that they can put them in a decent situation to succeed. If Drouin scores 35-45 points (and stays healthy), this is a good deal for the Isles. Once Mikko got comfy with the Stars, he started producing, especially against the Avs in the playoffs. I don’t know that he can be a 100 point player again without Makar and Mac but he’ll still likely be an 85-95 points guy and a strong presence on the PP.