2. Jonathan Drouin, (LW/C)
The Colorado Avalanche signed Jonathan Drouin on July 1, 2023, to reunite him with Nathan MacKinnon. The two played together in Halifax, and went 1 and 3 overall in the 2013 NHL Draft. Drouin went to the Tampa Bay Lightning, while MacKinnon obviously went to the Avs.
While Drouin had two previous seasons of over 50 points, his first season with the Avs was his best year yet, recording 56 points. He had 19 goals and 37 assists in 79 games.
The start of his first season in Colorado did not start off very well, as he lacked the stat production. Many assumed that he would click right in with MacKinnon but head coach Jared Bednar tried him on different lines throughout the season. He eventually found a home on the top line, earning his way there throughout the year.
It really does help that MacKinnon is on his side, but Bednar did not just hand Drouin that top-line spot. That just goes to show how hard Drouin worked to get to the point he ended up in at the end of the season.
Drouin is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent when free agency begins, and I think that he has earned a little more money in his pocket. Personally, I don’t think that he will be out of the team’s price range, especially with the uncertainty of Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin.