Finally, Jonathan Drouin is Just Playing Hockey Again

Montreal’s unrelenting spotlight, career revival in Colorado, finding the joy in hockey ahead of future in Long Island.

(Drouin looks on as member of Avalanche)

By Anthony Pellegrino @Pellegrinoap50 TheFrozenFocus.com NHL Correspondent

A smiling, relaxed Jonathan Drouin sat down with NHL Network last month, speaking with a lightness that matched his words. Fresh off signing with the New York Islanders, he shared an optimism that seemed to come as much from the heart as from the rink.

It’s a version of Drouin the hockey world hasn’t often seen, not because his game has been poor, but because, for years, it was buried beneath the noise.

Drafted third overall by Tampa Bay, the hometown prodigy came to Montreal in a blockbuster trade, returning to skate under the lights he grew up watching.

The hype was enormous; the reality more complicated. Injuries, inconsistency, and the unrelenting glare of the market kept his game from matching the narrative. In a city where hockey is a religion, every misstep echoed, and the joy that had driven his game since childhood began to chip away.

"I didn't like my stint in Montreal. It was never good for me," Drouin told NHL Network.

It wasn’t the people or the team, he explained, but the environment, a fishbowl where every detail of his life felt up for discussion. The pressure to perform at home, combined with the weight of living up to a blockbuster trade, became suffocating.

(Drouin as member of Canadiens)

He still had his moments, flashes of the skill that made him a third-overall pick, but too often they were overshadowed by injuries, speculation, or the ever-present question of whether he could be “the guy.” By the end, it was clear: for Drouin to truly thrive, he needed a different stage.

He posted just two goals in the 2020-2021 campaign, which caused him to step into the NHLPA's Player Assistance Program.

A decision that earned respect from many, but also amplified the attention he was trying to escape.

By the time he left Montreal, the narrative had stopped being about his play and started being about his story.

So, then came Colorado.

Reunited with junior teammate Nathan MacKinnon, Drouin entered a dressing room that already knew who he was, and accepted him for it. There were no savior labels, no endless questions about expectations, just a system built on speed and creativity that played to his strengths.

(Mackinnon, Drouin celebrate playing for Mooseheads)

The results followed. In 2023–24, Drouin recorded a career-high 56 points, but the numbers told only part of the story. He was making plays with confidence again, taking the kinds of risks that had once defined his game. Most importantly, he was enjoying hockey again.

"They helped me find my game again, I found my passion again and the excitement for the game.

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar didn’t try to reinvent him; he gave him freedom within structure, letting his instincts dictate the play.

The results spoke for themselves. Career-high assists, game-winning setups, and a presence on the power play that made Colorado’s top unit even more dangerous. More importantly, his confidence was visible in the little things, holding the puck that extra second, threading passes through seams, playing with a patience that disappears when doubt sets in.

That version of Drouin, confident, creative, and free from the weight of proving himself, is the one the Islanders signed this summer. It’s not a gamble; it’s a belief that the player Colorado helped uncover can carry that momentum to Long Island.

On the Island, the opportunity is different. The Islanders will look to him for offense and creativity, but the burden of being the franchise’s centerpiece is gone. Surrounded by proven veterans and a system that values two-way responsibility without stifling skill, Drouin has the freedom to play the game his way.

It’s a stage that feels built for this chapter of his career. One where he can carry forward the joy he rediscovered in Colorado, without the weight of expectations clouding it.

And maybe that’s why he smiled so easily on NHL Network, speaking with the kind of ease that only comes when you’ve fought your way back to loving what you do. Jonathan Drouin is, finally, just playing hockey again.