Former Colorado Avalanche forward Jonathan Drouin is still on the market, and one of the biggest reasons is hard to ignore: his playoff track record just doesn’t give teams much comfort.
Drouin’s name was tied to Colorado before the Avalanche signed him to a one-year deal in 2023, and it’s easy to see why some fans might wonder about a reunion. During his two seasons with the Avs, he appeared in 122 games and produced 30 goals and 63 assists. That stretch was strong enough to help earn him a 2-year, $4 million AAV contract from the New York Islanders.
But the rest of the story has been far less convincing. Drouin was later traded to the St.
Louis Blues and finished last season there, and his production fell off sharply. In 64 games split between the Islanders and Blues, he managed just four goals and 20 assists.
He also has only one 20-goal season on his résumé, which is a big part of why his value has cooled.
The playoff numbers are the other major red flag. Colorado has already seen enough underwhelming postseason performances from players like Brock Nelson and Martin Necas, and that has clearly shaped the conversation. Necas put up 13 points in 13 games this past playoff run, but 12 of those were assists, which is not the kind of output expected from a second-line center.
Drouin’s postseason history doesn’t offer much more confidence. In 43 career playoff games, he has six goals and 21 assists. At 31 years old, it’s difficult to picture a sudden surge in that area.
That’s why a Colorado return doesn’t make much sense. The Avalanche already have enough playoff questions without adding another player whose biggest concern is the same one. Drouin may still find a landing spot elsewhere, perhaps with a team on the fringe of the postseason, but Colorado does not look like the place where that reunion happens.
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Among the players just outside the top 25 were forward Nolan Roed, goaltender Tobias Tvrznik and defenseman Saige Weinstien, each of whom drew enough notice to earn honorable mention status after recent performances that kept them in the conversation. The broader takeaway is familiar for a team trying to balance contention with development: the Avalanche may have more young talent on hand than outsiders realize, but sorting out which prospects can realistically translate that promise into NHL roles is still the hard part. [Read more 🡒]