(Terrebonne) After six years of a marriage marked by ups and downs, Jonathan Drouin and the Canadian have both agreed that it was better to move on.
This is exactly what Drouin is doing these days. The Quebec forward turns the page, closes the book, and prepares to go write another story in Colorado, with the Avalanche. Where the end, he hopes, will be with a Stanley Cup at arm’s length.
“The Canadian and I were on the same wavelength, namely that we had to move on, he explained Tuesday morning on the sidelines of his annual golf tournament for the benefit of the Fondation du CHUM. , in Terrebonne. The team here is going to be great, but for me it was time. »
Drouin admits that he and the Canadiens discussed a sequel somewhat, but that this sequel, in the end, did not make sense. There is also that the Canadian talks about reconstruction while Drouin, at 28, sees bigger.
“In Montreal last season, we were rebuilding and we had to get the kids to play so that they learn, and that’s okay. But I have gone elsewhere in my career. I want to win, I want a team that is aiming for the playoffs. The Canadian will do that in a few years, but not now. »
In Denver, it is with a slightly lighter contract that Jonathan Drouin will try to find himself. Whoever said yes to an offer of 33 million over six years with CH will this time have to settle for $ 825,000 over a single season.
The contract will be lighter, therefore, but the atmosphere will also be lighter than in Montreal, according to what he estimates.
“Coming in [in 2017], I struggled a bit with it, but not in the end. I thought I was ready for this, but you’re not ready until you experience it yourself. It’s a bit different as a Quebec player; there are other players who are talked about in the team, but they are not from Quebec, they do not have the pressure that comes with it.
“I still had some great seasons. 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. 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. »
Nathan, here is of course Nathan MacKinnon, his sidekick from the past in junior hockey. The two men once flew over the ice with the Halifax Mooseheads, and Drouin hopes that this beautiful bond will be on display again in Colorado.
“He was my driver at school!” If Nathan didn’t get up to go to school, I didn’t go to school either! He was the one who decided if I went to school in the morning… We spent some great years together at school and at the arena. I’m glad to see him again and play with him again 10 years later. »
So yes, the page is turned and the book is closed, but all the same, that does not mean that Jonathan Drouin will forget Montreal.
“The six years here are behind me…I can’t go back and change things,” he added. That’s how life works. But I’m still going to watch the Canadiens out of the corner of my eye, because I have friends here…”
