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Jonathan Drouin

Drouin, Danault Avoid Suspension, Earn Fines

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The Department of Player Safety has one hearing today, but two other incidents last night have already been resolved. Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin and Los Angeles Kings forward Phillip Danault have both earned fines for actions in yesterday’s games.

For Drouin, a cross-check against Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin will cost him $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA. The incident happened partway through the third period, resulting in a five-minute major and game misconduct. Drouin delivered a hard retaliatory cross-check to the side of the head on a scrambled draw but will avoid suspension in this case.

Danault’s wallet meanwhile is $5,000 lighter today after a dangerous trip of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point last night. This was another occurrence of what appeared to be a slew foot, something that has been much more common this season. Brad Marchand and Kevin Labanc have both served suspensions for them, while others like P.K. Subban, Calvin de Haan, and Ryan Hartman have also earned fines.

Despite avoiding suspensions in these cases, Drouin and Danault will both have these incidents on their record for any future supplementary discipline. They will be considered and could result in increased punishments down the road.

Injury Notes: Flyers, Maple Leafs, Canadiens

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The Philadelphia Flyers are getting closer to having both Ryan Ellis and Kevin Hayes back in the lineup, two of the team’s most important players. Head coach Alain Vigneault explained today that the earliest Hayes would get back in the lineup is next Tuesday, but Ellis is ahead of that schedule and could even have an outside chance at playing tomorrow. If Ellis did play, he wouldn’t immediately jump up to the top pairing; Vigneault explained that the team would have to ease him in.

Ellis has played just three games for the Flyers this season, but had four points in those contests and averaged more than 24 minutes of ice time. The 30-year-old defenseman was acquired from the Nashville Predators in the offseason and was expected to carry a huge load at both ends of the rink. Hayes meanwhile is the team’s second-highest-paid player but hasn’t seen the ice at all as he continues to recover from offseason surgery. The 29-year-old had 12 goals and 31 points in 55 games last season and is a key option down the middle for the club.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs had a few absences at today’s practice, most notably captain John Tavares. Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that Tavares is day-to-day and a game-time decision for tomorrow’s match with the Flyers, according to Mark Masters of TSN. Ondrej Kase has the same designation, and is also a game-time decision for the Maple Leafs. With Petr Mrazek out, the Maple Leafs have the cap space to carry a pair of extra forwards and are expected to bring Joey Anderson and Kirill Semyonov to Philadelphia.
  • The Montreal Canadiens won’t have Jonathan Drouin back in the lineup tonight despite his appearance at the morning skate, while both Christian Dvorak and Josh Anderson are questionable for the game against the Los Angeles Kings. The Canadiens have lost their last two and have just three wins in 13 games so far this season. That puts them at the very bottom of the Atlantic Division table, just a few months after reaching the Stanley Cup Finals. A lineup without Drouin, Dvorak, and Anderson would certainly be put to the test by the Kings, who are currently on the league’s longest winning streak.

Snapshots: Tkachuk, Drouin, Coyotes

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While many fans will be eager to move on from the Jack Eichel trade saga that finally wrapped up Thursday after an early-morning deal to the Vegas Golden Knights, there were many rumors in the days leading up to the trade that deserves attention. While it was common knowledge in the week or so prior to Thursday that the Calgary Flames were potential suitors for the star forward, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes tweeted Wednesday that the team had offered winger Matthew Tkachuk in a potential package for Eichel. However, Tkachuk said today that he “had a hard time believing” that Calgary would have been willing to part with him, supporting other reports today that Tkachuk was not on the table. Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams also stated that the report “was not accurate.” It would’ve been shocking to see the Flames part with Tkachuk, who’s entering the final season of a $7MM contract. The 23-year-old has four goals and six points through nine games this season.

More from around the league:

  • Jonathan Drouin sits out tonight for the Montreal Canadiens, per Newsday’s Andrew Gross. Drouin left Montreal’s game on Tuesday night after taking a puck to the head and was actually transported to the hospital for further evaluation, but was discharged and was seen at the Bell Centre after the game. No timeline has been issued by the team on his injury, but it continues an unfortunate slew of health issues that have plagued the Canadiens this season.
  • The Arizona Coyotes tried to be a part of the Eichel trade, as mentioned in today’s episode of TSN’s Insider Trading. As a third-party member, the Coyotes likely could’ve taken on considerable value by offering to retain a small portion of Eichel’s salary in the deal. Salary retention in three-team deals has been an increasing trend in the league, with multiple low-spending teams gaining draft capital at last year’s Trade Deadline by helping facilitate deals.

Montreal Canadiens’ Jonathan Drouin Goes To Hospital For Examination

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Nov 3: Drouin is doing well this morning according to head coach Dominique Ducharme. He has not been diagnosed with a concussion at this point, though he’ll be re-evaluated tomorrow and is currently listed as day-to-day.

Nov 2: Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin left Tuesday night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings after taking a puck to the head and has gone to the hospital for further evaluation, per the team. Drouin will not return to the game.

A shot from the point hit Drouin in the head while he was standing in front of Red Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, knocking his helmet off as Drouin immediately crouched to the ice and skated off under his own power. The nature of any potential injury is unknown at this time.

Drouin, who was away from the Canadiens for the end of the regular season and entire playoffs on a personal leave of absence, is currently Montreal’s leader in points with seven points in 10 games. It’s a promising start for Drouin, who’s broken the 50-point threshold twice in his career.

If Drouin is to miss any time, he’ll be the fifth regular who’s currently unavailable due to injury or personal reasons. It’s incredibly tough luck for Drouin, who’s shown immense fortitude in battling back to be the team’s best producer.

The PHR team sends out their best wishes for Drouin’s health.

Jonathan Drouin Out With Non-COVID-Related Illness

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The Montreal Canadiens announced that forward Jonathan Drouin will miss tonight’s preseason tilt against the Ottawa Senators, citing a non-COVID-related illness as the reason for the late scratch.

While the team hasn’t given any further information on Drouin’s health, a preseason absence from a guaranteed roster player usually isn’t too much to worry about. With Montreal already entering the season with a depleted roster, the full health of their players is of utmost priority right now, so Drouin’s absence can best be predicted as precautionary.

However, if Drouin does miss any period of time, it could be yet another challenge for the team at the beginning of the season. Montreal starts the season with three games in four nights against the Maple Leafs, Sabres, and Rangers. They’re currently without Carey Price, Shea Weber, Paul Byron, Mike Hoffman, and Joel Edmundson to begin the year, with all players expected to be out for varying lengths of time.

Drouin returns to the team in 2021-22 after taking a leave of absence at the end of last year, missing the entire playoffs as well. He’s struggled with injuries over the past two seasons, tallying just nine goals and 38 points in 71 games. Expected to fit into the team’s top-nine forward group this season, his return is greatly anticipated for a team looking to return to the playoffs this season.

Health Notes: Morin, Drouin, Ylonen

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The news out of Philadelphia surrounding Samuel Morin does not sound good. Anthony SanFillipo, co-host of Flyers podcast “Snow The Goalie”, reports that multiple sources have shared that the defenseman-turned-forward has suffered another “significant” knee injury. Morin, 26, has previously suffered two torn ACL’s in his career, both occurring within a 20-month period in 2018 and 2019. As a result, Morin played just six NHL games and five AHL games over those two affected seasons. To date, the 2013 No. 11 overall pick has played in only 29 NHL games and has just one point. While this has had a serious impact on Morin’s development as a pro, he appeared to be back on track this past season with 27 games played between the Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms and was adjusting nicely to his new position. However, yet another knee serious knee injury could very well mean another lost season for Morin, if not the end of his playing career. It’s a devastating result for a player who showed so much promise coming out of the QMJHL. SanFillipo says to expect a formal announcement from Philadelphia this week.

  • Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin has finally spoken up about his leave of absence this past season. Drouin told Chantal Machabee of RDS in a one-on-one interview that he dealt with mental health issues last year. While Drouin notes that he has dealt with anxiety for years, it turned more serious late in the 2020-21 campaign when that anxiety led to insomnia. Drouin tried to push through, but it became too difficult to handle and he decided he needed to take a break. “It was really a step back, to have a lifestyle that was easier for me,” Drouin said. “There are times when I could go three evenings without sleeping and go and play two games in two nights. This is not something that is normal for any human and I had to change that a bit.” The Canadiens placed Drouin on LTIR and he missed the team’s miraculous run to the Stanley Cup. However, he is ready to get back to work this season. Drouin said he’s “doing very well” and that “the passion never left” and that he is excited to return to the game. Habs fans hope that the talented forward is ready to get back to his scoring ways as well.
  • Montreal will have no shortage of health issues to monitor this season. Young forward Jesse Ylonen, who is expected to challenge for an NHL roster spot, will not be vaccinated against COVID-19 this season, reports TVA. This is apparently a “personal decision” that will leave Ylonen as one of only 15 or so players expected to be unvaccinated. It has already forced Ylonen into a quarantine upon his arrival to Montreal which caused him to miss a rookie game on Saturday. That could be just the beginning though, as Ylonen will be subject to unpaid suspension if he is unable to travel due to local health policies or worse if he contracts COVID.

Poll: Are The Montreal Canadiens A Playoff Team In 2021-22?

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After making it all the way to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, losing in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Montreal Canadiens have had one of the most interesting offseasons of any team. That much roster turnover is unusual for a team that made it that far in the playoffs, but a decent portion of it has been out of their control.

A good portion of Montreal’s starting 12 forwards will look different next season. Gone down the middle are Phillip Danault, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Eric Staal. Dvorak will attempt to replace Danault’s shutdown role with a little more offensive touch but less defensive prowess. Kotkaniemi’s third-line role is likely to be replaced by another young center, most probably Jake Evans. Staal’s fourth-line role will likely be comprised of a more defensive-minded pivot in Cedric Paquette. Their group of wingers will look different too, losing out on Tomas Tatar’s two-way play in favor of a power-play specialist in Mike Hoffman. Gone is veteran Corey Perry in the bottom six, being replaced by another veteran presence in Mathieu Perreault.

The team’s defense faces the loss of the team’s captain in Shea Weber. His injury will keep him out for at least this entire season and puts the rest of his career in jeopardy. His absence will be replaced by committee, as youngster Alexander Romanov and new addition David Savard should see more minutes. The left side stays relatively constant from last season, and overseas addition Chris Wideman could challenge for some games as well.

A tandem of Carey Price and Jake Allen returns after a successful regular season campaign.

However, a team that barely squeaked into the playoffs last season returns with some question marks. Full seasons of Jonathan Drouin and Cole Caufield help boost the team, but downgrades from Danault to Dvorak and Tatar to Hoffman raise near-negating doubts. The success of youngsters like Evans and Romanov will be crucial if Montreal wants to make a return to the playoffs in 2022, and they’ll need repeat performances from players such as Jeff Petry and Josh Anderson.

So the question to you, PHR readers, is this: has Montreal done enough this offseason to yield a playoff team in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference? Make your voice heard below:

Do The Montreal Canadiens Make The Playoffs In 2022?
Yes, just barely 42.53% (911 votes)
No, just miss 31.09% (666 votes)
Yes, 100+ point season 13.68% (293 votes)
No, bottom-tier team 12.70% (272 votes)
Total Votes: 2,142

Mobile users, click here to vote!

Canadiens Give Update On Price, Weber, Drouin

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The reports of Carey Price’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin took to the podium today to speak with the media and indicated that the veteran goaltender will see doctors to examine some injuries, but the team isn’t expecting anything major. Bergevin gave an estimate of six-to-eight weeks recovery and noted there was a “small percentage” that it would be longer, once they determined the extent.

Price was left unprotected in the recent expansion draft, and rumors had been swirling that he might miss part of next season thanks to hip and knee injuries. That seems unlikely now, though at his age–Price will turn 34 in a few weeks–things can obviously change quickly.

Bergevin also spoke about Shea Weber, with much less confidence he will ever return to the Canadiens lineup. As Eric Engels of Sportsnet tweets, Weber is dealing with injuries to his ankle, foot, knee, and thumb and will not play next season. Bergevin even noted that he “probably won’t be back for his career.”

If it is indeed the end for Weber, it comes directly after the longest playoff run of his career, captaining the Canadiens all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. The 35-year-old defenseman has played in 1,038 regular season games, racking up 224 goals and 589 points. Weber sits 15th all-time in goals from a defenseman and could very well be headed for the Hall of Fame when he officially retires.

That likely won’t be for some time though, as there are still five years left on Weber’s contract. His injury status should give the team grounds to move him to long-term injured reserve for those years, allowing Weber to collect the $12MM still owed to him. It would also give the team some added cap flexibility, but obviously takes an important piece of their lineup out.

His will still be a story to follow closely, if only because of the cap recapture penalties that could be enforced on the Nashville Predators if Weber retires before his contract expires. Remember though, recapture penalties were changed in the last CBA, meaning that no single-year penalty can be greater than the contract’s cap hit. It means, instead of the $24.5MM penalty that Nashville potentially faced if Weber retired in 2025, they would instead incur penalties of $7.85MM for three years, and then $1MM in 2028-29. Not exactly ideal still, but at least not completely crippling.

After Price and Weber were discussed, Bergevin moved to Jonathan Drouin, who took a leave of absence from the team earlier this year. The Canadiens GM was happy to report that Drouin is ready to return for the 2021-22 season, and specifically noted the connection between the talented forward and head coach Dominique Ducharme, going back to their days in the QMJHL. Drouin has two years left on his contract with Montreal and carries a $5.5MM cap hit.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

2021 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced

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The NHL has announced the 31 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild.

Each team submits one nominee. This year’s are:

Anaheim: Cam Fowler

Arizona: Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Boston: Charlie Coyle

Buffalo: Jack Eichel

Calgary: Mikael Backlund

Carolina: Jordan Staal

Chicago: Connor Murphy

Colorado: Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

Columbus: Cam Atkinson

Dallas: Esa Lindell

Detroit: Dylan Larkin

Edmonton: Kyle Turris

Florida: Sergei Bobrovsky

Los Angeles: Trevor Moore

Minnesota: Mats Zuccarello

Montreal: Jonathan Drouin

Nashville: Pekka Rinne

New Jersey: P.K. Subban

NY Islanders: Anders Lee

NY Rangers: Chris Kreider

Ottawa: Thomas Chabot

Philadelphia: Scott Laughton

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby

San Jose: Kurtis Gabriel

St. Louis: Ryan O’Reilly

Tampa Bay: Alex Killorn

Toronto: John Tavares

Vancouver: Tyler Motte

Vegas: Marc-Andre Fleury

Washington: Garnet Hathaway

Winnipeg: Blake Wheeler

Jonathan Drouin Not Expected To Return During The Playoffs

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While the Canadiens will be getting some key veterans back for the postseason in defenseman Shea Weber, winger Brendan Gallagher, goalie Carey Price, and center Phillip Danault, it does not appear they will be getting winger Jonathan Drouin back in their lineup.  Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports (Twitter link) that Drouin is not expected to return for the playoffs as things currently stand.

The 26-year-old took a leave of absence in late April after missing several games to what was called an illness and the team asked for his privacy to be respected at that time.  Montreal then placed Drouin on LTIR but with the retroactive placement, enough time has elapsed for him to be activated for their series opener against Toronto but instead that won’t be the case.

Drouin had a tough season offensively; while he managed to put up 21 assists in 44 games which is the best assist per game ratio of his career, his two goals made him a lynchpin for criticism, especially with a $5.5MM contract.  Nevertheless, he still would have been an interesting wild card addition to Montreal’s lineup given that he tied for the team lead in scoring in the bubble last summer.  Instead, the focus will now shift to him hopefully being able to return for next season.

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