The 26 year old forward has been facing lots of backlash from fans due to his disappointing stats.
After a tough 4-0 loss against the Ottawa Senators, the Montreal Canadiens continue to be one of the most inconsistent teams in the NHL. Goal scoring has once again been a major issue, with only three goals in their last three games, two of which were scored by Tyler Toffoli, and one by Brett Kulak. While fans are pointing their fingers everywhere, the one player that seems to be the public enemy number one is Jonathan Drouin.
Drouin has been a controversial player ever since he joined the organization back in 2017. He was rumored to have attitude issues with his former team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Habs traded away Mikhail Sergachev to get him. Sergachev was a top prospect at the time and fans were disappointed to see him go. With that being said, the hype for Drouin was tremendous and the expectations were incredibly high. Drouin was a former third overall draft pick but never reached his full potential in Tampa. Coming to Montreal, however, he was fresh off of a 20 goal season and looked to be stepping into his prime years.
Unfortunately, his time in Montreal hasn’t been what fans had hoped it would be, as he is yet to become the player that we traded for. Although he has proven himself to be a solid playmaker, currently leading the team in assists, he sits at only two goals despite playing top minutes.
Fans haven’t been shy to point out their anger towards the forward on social media, with comments about trading Drouin flooding Instagram. This is obviously an appropriate amount of anger. Drouin simply hasn’t done enough this season. Unfortunately, Drouin isn’t the only person underperforming. Players like Shea Weber, Phillip Danault, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Eric Staal, and Arturri Lehkonen have all been extremely underwhelming this season, yet Drouin has taken 90% of the slander himself.
I am in no way defending Drouin. It isn’t debatable, his numbers aren’t up to par and he has been one of the Habs’ most disappointing forward this season. All I am saying is that he isn’t the only one to blame. The team has been disappointing this season, despite their promising start.
We can only hope that a comeback from Jonathan Drouin can spark something. He has all the talent in the world, he just needs to use it.
