The Montreal Canadiens will look to add more talent to their roster, and one insider links them to a reunion with a former top pick.
The Canadiens were the youngest team in the playoffs and will look to build on that in the offseason. NHL insider Jeremy Tingly of NHLTradeRumors linked the Canadiens to a reunion with Jonathan Drouin.
“The Canadiens exceeded expectations last year and have turned into an up-and-coming team to watch heading into the 2025-26 season,” Tingly wrote. “Drouin making his way to Montreal would be quite the story, and he’d fit in nicely as a veteran winger who could help boost their lineup offensively. The Habs should be aggressive this summer on the free-agent market, and adding Drouin should be something they consider.”
Drouin is from Quebec and was drafted third overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2013. He ended up being traded to the Canadiens in 2017 for Mikhail Sergachev and a second-round pick. Drouin played six seasons in Montreal before leaving to sign with the Colorado Avalanche.
Drouin is now more of a veteran in the NHL, and returning to the Canadiens does make sense. He would play a middle-six with the Habs and can still chip in offensively.
The 30-year-old recorded 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 points in 43 games last season. In the six years with Montreal, he recorded 48 goals and 138 assists for 186 points in 321 games.
What is Drouin Expected to Get in Free Agency?
Drouin is coming off a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Avalanche, and in his first year in Colorado, he made $825,000.
After taking discounts to play with Nathan MacKinnon, whom he played with in junior hockey, Drouin is likely to try and get paid this time around.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli of DailyFaceoff has Drouin as his 19th-ranked free agent. Using AFP analytics, the outlet projects Drouin to sign a four-year deal worth $5.9 million per season.
Drouin would likely fit in as a second or third-line forward with Montreal, who can add some secondary scoring, which is an area of need.
Pressure of Playing For the Canadiens Was Tough For Drouin
Although Tingly linked Drouin to a reunion with the Canadiens, it’s uncertain he would want to go back.
After Drouin signed with the Avalanche, he spoke to ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark about the pressure of playing for his hometown team. He admitted it was much harder than he expected.
“Until you live it,” Drouin said. “No one’s ready for it.”
Drouin’s agent, Allan Walsh, meanwhile, knew his client was dealing with a lot of the pressure of being the hometown player.
“You want to be welcoming and understand that this is a privileged set of circumstances that you are living under, yet at the same time, when things are not going well, it’s just grinding you down every day,” said Walsh. “There’s no getting away from hockey off the ice.
“What players tend to do in this situation … is you tend to cocoon. You order in your food, you don’t go to the market, you don’t walk down the street, you don’t walk to the park to get some fresh air. You tend to avoid people and crowds. It turns into an isolating and insulated life and that is not always the healthiest lifestyle.”
Perhaps after spending two years in Colorado, Drouin is ready to return home.
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