Jack Drury is an interesting player, and what he brings to the Colorado Avalanche is important, even if it doesn't pass the "eye test." He recently came over to Colorado alongside Martin Nečas in the deal that sent Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes, and he is filling a role immediately. In eight games, the third-line center has two goals, and, on paper, his impact seems marginal. His offensive metrics aren't particularly noteworthy, but Drury thrives as an "analytic darling" who specializes in two key areas where the Avs need support: winning faceoffs and killing penalties.
Jack Drury: Face-Off Specialist
Drury is already the best face-off man on the Avalanche roster. While his face-off impact is comparatively diminished because of the time spent in Carolina, his career average shines a light on just how much this facet is a part of his game.
Player | 2024-25 Face-Offs Drawn | 2024-25 Face-Off Wins | 2024-25 Face-Off Percentage | Career Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jack Drury* | 508 | 288 | 56.7% | 59.1% |
Juuso Pärssinen* | 129 | 65 | 50.4% | 46.1% |
Nathan MacKinnon | 1,102 | 543 | 49.93% | 45.3% |
Chris Wagner | 93 | 43 | 46.2% | 49.1% |
Parker Kelly | 629 | 267 | 42.4% | 41.1% |
Casey Mittelstadt | 756 | 315 | 41.7% | 45.2% |
Ivan Ivan | 137 | 56 | 40.9% | 40.9% |
Ross Colton | 84 | 34 | 40.5% | 49.8% |
Martin Nečas | 127 | 48 | 37.8% | 41.1% |
*Both Pärssinen and Drury, who spent much of this season on the Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively, were brought in to bolster the Avs' depth; their ability to win draws was almost certainly a factor in their acquisitions.
In recent history, the Avalanche have struggled mightily at the face-off dot. Since the 2017-18 season, the Avs, as a team, have had a sub-50% face-off percentage every season apart from 2020-21, and they routinely finish in the bottom-five across the entire league. While the Avs have one of the best defensive units in the NHL, they are routinely tested, especially as the centermen in front of them routinely lose draws in their own end. It's been a thorn in the team's side for nearly a decade:
Season | Colorado Avalanche Face-Off Percentage | Ranking, League-Wide | League Average |
|---|---|---|---|
2024-25 | 45.43% | 30th | 50.15% |
2023-24 | 48.11% | 23rd | 49.39% |
2022-23 | 47.21% | 26th | 50.09% |
2021-22 | 47.24% | 30th | 50.06% |
2020-21 | 52.37 | 5th | 49.90% |
2019-20 | 49.79% | 17th | 49.99% |
2018-19 | 47.60% | 29th | 50.06% |
2017-18 | 44.02% | 31st | 50.18% |
It’s difficult to generate offense when the puck is often trapped in a team's own end; while elite players like Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon can seemingly break out and rush the puck up ice at will, it doesn't remedy a problem the Colorado Avalanche front office wants to address: One of the main reasons Rantanen was traded was the team's desire to bolster its depth options. If they are to buy-in to this model, all four lines need to be able to win face-offs and exit the zone reliably and consistently as a means to generate offense. Jack Drury can help the Avs do this.
Jack Drury: Dependable Penalty-Killer
The other area where Drury shines is as a penalty-killer. His face-off percentage dips to 45.6% when at the dot when down a man, but that number is still above-average for the Avs. He has time to grow in this area, especially given that he is under contract for another full season after this one.
The two penalty-kill lines for the Avs have been rather consistent throughout this season, so Drury hasn't been utilized all that heavily in that role. However, the addition of Drury—and his proven dependability as a penalty-killer—gives the Avs another playable option. This means less high-danger injury time for some of the world's best stars like Devon Toews, Cale Makar, and Artturi Lehkonen.
Colorado Avalanche Penalty-Killing Forwards | Average Time on Ice Short-Handed Per Game (In Minutes) |
|---|---|
Logan O'Connor | 2:11 |
Parker Kelly | 2:06 |
Valeri Nichuskin | 1:30 |
Joel Kiviranta | 1:23 |
Jack Drury | 1:14 |
Almost all of the best penalty-killing forwards the Avs have had in the last five years are now gone: JT Compher, Tyson Jost, and Matt Nieto all play in the Eastern Conference. Matt Calvert, Andrew Cogliano, and Darren Helm are retired. Pierre-Édouard Bellemare plays overseas. The only consistent penalty killer the Avs have had in that time is Logan O'Connor, who has been a steady short-handed presence in Colorado for many years. The addition of Jack Drury, who has, in both his short career and short time in Colorado, been utilized successfully in that role, adds some special teams depth to this team as they aim for another deep playoff push.
Drury knows his role on this team: he will be given decent offensive opportunities, but he will be relied upon to help the team in ways not always illustrated through a simple scoresheet. This versatility is especially important as the Colorado Avalanche's depth offense continues to sputter. If these depth players cannot contribute on the offensive side, they must, at minimum, contribute in other areas. Time will tell if Drury can continue to support the team in this way, and he has shown flashes, throughout his career, of an offensive touch, too.