Jonathan Drouin never quite found his footing in his six-year stint with the Montreal Canadiens.
And when he became a free agent this summer and signed a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche, few were surprised that he was looking for a fresh start.
Despite not playing for the city anymore, Drouin recently hosted his annual golf tournament to raise money for the CHUM Foundation in Montreal. At the event, he was asked by media members about leaving the Canadiens.
“In recent years, it was more difficult in Montreal. We are rebuilding,” he recalled. “Sometimes players had to play at certain times when they needed to learn. I’ve been in this position before where veterans let young people through, and that’s okay. But I haven’t reached that point in my career.”
“I got to the point in my career where I want to win, I want to be in the playoffs,” the 28-year-old added. “The Canadiens will do that in a few years, but not now!”
He also talked about expecting a reduced level of pressure with the Avalanche.
“The pressure will be a little different [in Colorado] in that [hockey] is not watched by everyone in town,” he added. “There aren’t 35 members of the media waiting for you after a practice. It’s going to be a little different. But the pressure will always be there for me.”
The Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts native, who took a break from hockey in the spring of 2021 due to anxiety issues, said he is looking forward to his new hockey home for a variety of reasons, one of them being the chance to reunite with former Halifax Mooseheads teammate Nathan MacKinnon.
“In Colorado, it’s going to be more relaxed, it’s not the same pace. There’s a little less media, a little less stuff going on,” Drouin said. “The Avalanche won the Cup two years ago… so I’m going to play with a really good team, and I think it will also do me good to play with a team that has a chance to make the playoffs, maybe more.”
“The city there, Nathan… there were several good reasons for me to go there.”
As for what he will remember from playing in his home province, Drouin said he still has fond memories.
“At the beginning, I had a little trouble, but not at the end. I thought I was ready for this, but you never really are until you experience it,” Drouin explained. “I still had good years and good times.”