Report: Jonathan Drouin returning to the Avalanche is ‘very unlikely’

Colorado Avalanche forward Jonathan Drouin is “very unlikely” to return to the team next season, according to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski.

Drouin played last year on a $2.5 million deal, but battled injuries throughout. He appeared in just 43 games, although he did have 11 goals and 26 assists.

In the playoffs Drouin was demoted to the third line and saw his ice-time noticeably slashed. He registered zero goals and three assists in seven games against the Dallas Stars, while being a -6 in the +/- category. That was the worst on the entire team.

Wyshynski adds there are still some “ongoing” discussions with Colorado and Drouin’s reps ahead of free agency on July 1, but also points out the Avalanche have just $1.2 million in cap space, so bringing him back feels unlikely. Of course, GM Chris MacFarland could trade a Samuel Girard, Ross Colton, Josh Manson or Martin Necas between now and then, but the clock is ticking.

Jonathan Drouin is very good friends with Nathan MacKinnon after the two played together on the Halifax Mooseheads more than a decade ago. In the 2013 NHL Draft, MacKinnon went No. 1 overall to the Avalanche and Drouin went No. 3 to the Lightning.

He had some decent years with Tampa Bay and Montreal, but clearly needed a change of scenery after registering only 29 points with the Canadiens during the 2022-23 season. After he signed with Colorado, Drouin had a career-high 56 points during the 23-24 season.

But again, injuries have become a problem with Jonathan Drouin. And now that the captain Gabriel Landeskog is back the Avalanche don’t view Drouin as a top-6 forward.

Anything is possible between now and the start of free agency in a few days, but this latest report makes it sound like Jonathan Drouin will be wearing a different NHL sweater next year.

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