Jonathan Drouin nominated for Masterton Award: finding strength in vulnerability

The Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) has selected Jonathan Drouin as the Colorado Avalanche‘s nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

In 2021, Drouin stepped away from hockey to tend to his mental health. Anxiety and insomnia crept into his world and clouded his passion briefly, but he persevered and found his way back to the game that he loved.

“I guess for some people we just play hockey and in the go-go-go of it, they expect some stuff. But we’re human, a lot of us have kids, families and friends,” Drouin explained.

“I don’t think five-to-six years ago it would have been ok to talk about it or even go see someone and get some help or get some [clarity] on a lot of stuff that you’re really clueless about – and for me, that was my biggest thing.”

Drouin talked about how identifying anxiety triggers has benefitted him.

“Getting help was number one, but all the tools that I have now… and having people to rely on [has helped]… You definitely see the upside and the positives of talking to people and getting help and not being shy about something that’s so little sometimes [but] matters so much in your life – that lingers on for weeks and months and you just want to attack it and make sure you understand what you’re doing.”

Caring for himself was the first step in Drouin’s resurgence.

It started with a gamble on himself. He entered the 2023 offseason as a free-agent and landed in Colorado on an unpresuming $825,000 deal –  a notable difference from the $5.5 million salary he earned over the past six seasons.

Some were prepared to dismiss the Drouin experiment after his first ten games.

But now with six games to go in the season, Drouin is two points from matching his career-high of 53 points. He has the chance to set a new personal best in his tenth NHL season.

Many will credit his success to the talent that surrounds him. There’s Mikko Rantanen with another 40-goal/100-point season and then there’s the Hart frontrunner and former Halifax Mooseheads teammate Nathan MacKinnon.

In the last 30 years, Nikita Kucherov (2023-24), Connor McDavid (2022-23), Mario Lemieux (1995-96), Jaromir Jagr (1995-96) and Wayne Gretzky (1993-94) are the only NHLers to record a 130-point season.

MacKinnon joined that company on Thursday.

Colorado is the only club with multiple 40-goal/100-point players in 2023- 24, and it’s Rantanen and MacKinnon.

They’re having a special season, and Drouin’s success can be linked to that, but only in part.

Drouin’s revival is his accomplishment and it stands on its own.

To overcome all that he has and reach this point at 29-years-old and a decade into his NHL career is impressive.

It’s why he’s the PHWA’s pick for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

He embodies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to his craft.

All the hours spent at Family Sports Center working extra with MacKinnon on the little details didn’t go unnoticed. To approach the sport with that level of repetition demonstrates a deep love of hockey.

You see it when the pair connect on the ice and their hard work pays off.

Drouin has assisted on eight of Nathan MacKinnon’s 48 goals. MacKinnon has assisted on eleven of Drouin’s 17 goals. They combined for assists on seven additional goals with other players. Twenty-five of Drouin’s points came independent of MacKinnon.

“He loves hockey. That I know for sure,” Rantanen said. “He watches a lot of hockey and he’s very into it. I think in the past he’s had some tougher times, but the way he’s involved now, how much he wants to get better at it, how he’s always talking about it, I think it’s a good choice.”

The Minnesota game was Drouin’s third multi-goal game of 2023-24, tying his career-high set in 2016-17 with Tampa Bay.

Coming to Colorado introduced an environment he could thrive in.

“Talking to Nate this summer and other guys, I knew I was coming to a hell of a hockey team with a lot of good people,” he started. “It has exceeded my expectations of how we play hockey and how we are as a team, the people we have here. I think the one thing is this team is very dedicated – off-ice, on-ice, practices, all the details. It’s the same with the staff. Right now as we’re getting ready for the playoffs, those details are all we talk about and we try to go out there and make our game even better than it is.”

Drouin can appreciate the Avs’ level of dedication – it’s reminiscent of his own.

“I’ve always loved the game I’ve played,” he said. “That love of the game really came back last year and even more this year. I owe a lot of credit to the guys here, the staff, for helping me find that love and that passion again, but it also never really ever left, either.”

Drouin had an incredible game against Minnesota. It captured how well-rounded his game has become. He’s stronger on pucks, getting to the net, and a better two-way player than he entered.

When Ryan Johansen didn’t pan out in Colorado, and with Artturi Lehkonen and Val Nichushkin out at points, Jared Bednar needed Drouin to become a bigger net-front player.

He might not be Gabriel Landeskog in that sense, but he’s scored his fair share of goals there.

On the first powerplay goal against the Wild, Rantanen won the opening draw and Colorado cycled the puck out high. Cale Makar snapped a puck on net from the top of the right-circle and threw Drouin the alley-oop to bat down into the net with his stick.

Then on his second goal, Rantanen found the seam pass to MacKinnon upon entry and Drouin helped to keep the play alive behind the net with good puck protection and a reset to Devon Toews out high. Toews passed to MacKinnon at the high-slot and MacKinnon sent a slap pass on net for Drouin to deflect in.

His high-IQ enables him to think the game at a quick pace. He can find (and anticipate) seams in a way that keeps up with MacKinnon, and that’s no small task.

On the fourth goal, Makar forced Joel Eriksson-Ek to turnover the puck in the d-zone and MacKinnon took the puck up ice in transition. MacKinnon fed Drouin the puck in the neutral zone to gain the entry, and Drouin found a pocket past Brock Faber to MacKinnon in the offensive zone. MacKinnon slid down the slot and wristed the puck in.

“To be nominated for an award like that is cool,” Drouin said. “We have a lot of guys here who work hard and dedicate themselves to hockey, and I do as well. It’s awesome.”

Jonathan Drouin’s journey stands as a testament to the power of perseverance and self-care. His resurgence showcases the indomitable spirit of an athlete who refused to be defined by setbacks.

As he approaches a potential career milestone, his story serves as an inspiration to all who face adversity, reminding us that with determination and support, even the most daunting challenges can be overcome.