A Jonathan Drouin-Avalanche reunion makes perfect sense

On June 30, 2026, the St. Louis Blues put Jonathan Drouin on unconditional waivers for the purpose of buying out the remaining one-year $4mil AAV of his contract. Accordingly, come July 1, 2026, Jonathan Drouin will not be on an NHL roster, but the Avs could easily remedy this while remedying a few problems of their own. This article attempts, by focusing on four key points, to establish the case for bringing Drouin back to Colorado.

Reason One: Drouin, famously, has chemistry with Nathan MacKinnon

There has been much written about Nathan MacKinnon's personal push to the Avs' front office to sign Jonathan Drouin during the offseason before the 2023-24 NHL season. MacKinnon and Drouin, who went first and third, respectively, in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, first turned heads as teammates and linemates on the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads. While playing together in "the Q" during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, both players quickly skated their way onto the must-have lists of GMs across the NHL; while MacKinnon was the consensus number-one prospect, Drouin made a strong case for himself, as well, and this led to the Tampa Bay Lightning selecting him third. Their respective selections at the draft came just 51 days after they led the Mooseheads to the team's first and only President's Cup championship.

From the outset of the 2013-14 season — one in which MacKinnon claimed the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year while Drouin returned for a third and final season with the Mooseheads — the trajectory of these two players took a damning dip; it soon became apparent that Drouin might not be such a strong player if he doesn't have the all-world talent of Nathan MacKinnon off of which to synchronize. MacKinnon quickly established himself as one of the NHL's best players, and Drouin struggled to contribute, especially with the weight of a third-overall-ppick's expectations hanging over him. Drouin is a serviceable NHLer, but he is not a star. While this is an unfortunate narrative, the Avs took advantage of this by bringing Drouin in to kick off the 2023-24 NHL season.

Reason Two: Drouin can play Colorado's system

Drouin's contributions in Colorado — compared against the level of Drouin's production both before and after his time in Denver — feel almost like a fever dream: his impact while wearing the burgundy and blue is far and away the best of his career. Signing Drouin was a legitimate risk, but it paid off: his chemistry with MacKinnon, and his versatility up and down the Avs' lineup in that first Colorado campaign made him a welcome addition to the team. He found the long-lost, difference-making playmaking skills that had made him such a lethal player in Juniors, and it became one of the best feel-good stories of the 2023-24 NHL season.

Across a total of two injury-shortened seasons in Denver, Drouin recorded the two best PTS/60 (points per 60 minutes played) statistics of his career, a 2.3 and 2.8, respectively. Since leaving Colorado, those numbers, with the Islanders and with the Blues, have dipped to the two worst of his career: both at 1.3. Was it merely the presence of Nathan MacKinnon that led to Drouin's career-revitalizing production in 2023-24 and 2024-25, or was it the broader playstyle and systems incorporated into Avalanche hockey? Better question: Does it matter? The statistics are clear: Drouin played his best NHL hockey while donning an Avs sweater.

Reason Three: Drouin has zero bargaining power — something the Avs will use to their advantage

The first contract that Drouin signed with the Avs, a league-minimum $825k deal, turned out to be one of the best contracts on the team (apart, of course, from the bargain that Cale Makar's contract currently is) that year. in the 2023-24 season, Drouin put together the best campaign of his NHL career: 56 points (19 goals and 37 assists — both of which are career-bests) in 79 games played (the second-most games played in one season by Drouin; he played 81 in the 2018-19 season with Montreal). Accordingly, the Avs had to shell out an additional $1.675mil in order to bring Drouin back for a second season in the Mile High City. While he did spend much of the season on the injured list, Drouin played excellently in 43 games (11 goals, 26 assists and 37 points) and had, for all intents and purposes, put himself back on the map.

The seeming resurgence of his NHL-caliber potential led to the New York Islanders signing Drouin to a two-year, $4mil AAV contract heading into the 2025-26 season. It was one of the first free agent signings that Matthew Darche made after taking over the "Lou York Islanders" from former Isles' GM Lou Lamoriello, but Drouin never really meshed with the style of play in Long Island. Despite getting some of the highest total playing time of his career while rostered with the Islanders, Drouin put together a paltry 21-point performance (three goals and 18 assists in 55 games) before he was dealt to the St. Louis Blues at last year's NHL Trade Deadline.

After joining the Blues, he recorded one goal and two assists in nine games, which made the prospect of another season in St. Louis at the tune of a $4mil cap-hit something too unsavory for the Blues' front office to bear. Resultingly, Drouin was unconditionally waived on June 30, 2026, which is beneficial for both parties: Drouin gets an opportunity to play elsewhere (if anyone wants to risk signing him) and gets a guaranteed paycheck for the next two years, regardless, and the Blues, while still on the hook for $1.33mil both this season and next, free up $2.67mil with which to fill out its roster heading into 2026-27.

Reason Four: The Avs have limited cap space and need a powerplay spark

Now that Drouin finds himself without an NHL home, he likely won't have many callers once the NHL's free agency period opens on July 1, 2026. But, given his seeming need for MacKinnon to play inspired hockey, and given a decided lack of alternative options, it would behoove both the Avs and Drouin to come together once more; if he signs in Colorado, a third one-year deal, this time mirroring his initial, league-minimum Colorado contract, would seem appropriate.

It's unlikely that Drouin will get a better offer elsewhere (if he gets any other offers at all), so the perpetually tight-to-the-salary-cap Avalanche should take advantage of the massive potential upside by tendering a contract to Drouin. If signed, he's likely play on the team's third line, with the potential to move up alongside MacKinnon if injuries necessitate, and he's likely find some heavy utilization alongside MacK on the team's first powerplay unit — one that was horrendous throughout both the regular season and post-season in 2025-26. The chemistry he possesses with MacKinnon could provide the necessary jolt that the Avs need on the man advantage.

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