Major: the reason behind Jonathan Drouin's lack of success with the Canadiens is revealed

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David St-Jean
January 6, 2024 (9:09 PM)

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Jonathan Drouin was traded at a high cost to the Lightning, in exchange for defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. He was instantly seen as the best player on the Canadiens before even playing a game.

After a 53-point season in Tampa Bay, Jo had two consecutive seasons with 46 and 53 points with the Habs. Up to that point, fans didn't hold much against him.

After that, things took a turn for the worse. Drouin was often injured, but what stood out the most was that he didn't surpass the 30-point mark in the following four seasons.

For a player acquired at such a high cost and paid his salary, it was clearly insufficient. Fans criticized him, but his biggest critic was himself. The pressure was too much for him, and it was none other than Stéphane Waite, who saw it all from inside the team, who revealed the information.

"In his last year in Montreal, Waite could see it, that Jo was getting to himself. He worried a lot about his production and what was being said about him in the media. Athletes shouldn't read or listen to what journalists write or say, but sometimes it's stronger than us. And people in Montreal are so passionate that it's hard to ignore them..."

- Via DLC

In a market like Montreal, players can't start reading what's being said about them, or they'll go crazy. Jo wasn't able to distance himself from all of that.

Now in Colorado, it took him some time, but he's doing very well. He has had a lot of success in the last 15 games, and it's evident that he's having fun, playing without pressure. Hopefully, it will be enough to revive his career.