ST. LOUIS | There was a time when Jonathan Drouin might have been grumpy or snorted as he was shown the way to the catwalk by his head trainer. At twenty-seven he claims to have passed the age of such childishness.
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Confined to the role of spectator, Saturday against the Blues was the third time Drouin had been scraped out of training by Martin St-Louis this season. If the first two times were due to the need for an extra period of fitness, this weekend wasn’t.
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“I keep the good attitude and work hard. We have 15 attackers so I know some nights it’s up to me to skip my train,” Drouin said after coaching the Canadians in St. Louis before heading to Minnesota.
That attitude is in stark contrast to his rookie season. Set aside for his first steps in the 12-game Lightning organization, he refused to report to the Syracuse Crunch early in the following campaign before changing his mind.
“It’s easier now than it was then. When you’re 18 or 19, you’re embarrassed to knock on the coach’s door to ask questions. I have a great relationship with Martin. It’s easy to talk to him about hockey. As soon as I saw the formation, I had a chat with Martin,” Drouin explained.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
“You can also learn from above,” says Jonathan Drouin comfortingly, even if he is left out by head coach Martin St-Louis.
A student of the game
The latter may reiterate that Evgenii Dadonov, Rem Pitlick and he were saved due to the excess of healthy players in attack. We agree that the Canadian pilot didn’t randomly pull three names out of a hat.
Irrespective of this, Drouin wants to find something positive in every situation. It is also important to him to make optimal use of his time on the bridge.
“I’m a student of the game,” he argued. You can also learn something from above. Even at 27. For example, you can learn things about your team, about your own teammates; Guys you could play with in a week or two. »
“Sometimes you recognize certain things. You understand that you have more time with the puck than you think,” he continued.
The great secret of Evgenii Dadonov
While the situation at Drouin seems clear, it is less so on Evgenii Dadonov’s side. The forward was not on the ice with his teammates on Monday afternoon. The team determined that the Russian needed treatment.
Curious as he didn’t face the Blues on Saturday.
In addition, St-Louis, revived by the number 63’s health, has lost patience.
“He wasn’t on the ice today! Chantal (Mahabée) told you. It’s just that, pounded the Canadian’s head coach. I don’t know (if something happened between Saturday and Monday). He wasn’t ready to practice today. »
upset
One wonders if Dadonov is not angry. Colleagues spotted him chatting with Kent Hughes after Saturday’s game.
Dadonov, who is in the last year of his contract ($5 million), has still not put his name on the scorers’ list.
He is one of St-Louis’ least used attackers (13min 29sec).
Also, it’s used much more in outnumbered situations than in massive attack.
You do not collect points here.