Indeed, Jo had a slow start to the season, but once he shifted into gear, he produced at a very good pace. It was really nice to see him play!
Now, a contract extension with the Avalanche is very possible, as confirmed by Pierre LeBrun.
According to the insider, there is mutual interest between Drouin and the Avalanche to keep him in Colorado, and negotiations have already begun, but it's more complicated than that.
Chris MacFarland is currently in uncertainty as he doesn't know what will happen with Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog. Together, they account for $13.125 million of the salary cap.
Not knowing if or when they will return to play is a major dilemma for the Avalanche GM.
Moreover, according to Frank Seravalli, Jo's next contract is expected to be around $20 million over four seasons, so $5 million per year.
It's far from an easy situation for MacFarland to manage, and it's understandable that it might take a bit more time before an announcement is made in that regard.
Nevertheless, the good news is that Jo shouldn't have too much trouble finding a multi-year contract. He has proven to everyone that he can still produce and play a lot of games, appearing in 79 out of 82 games for his team.
POLL | ||
Do you think Jonathan Drouin deserves a four-year, $20 million contract? | ||
Yes | 127 | 20.6 % |
No | 490 | 79.4 % |
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