Islanders' Jonathan Drouin lacks numbers, but teammates praise his overall game
Islanders left wing Jonathan Drouin sets before a faceoff against the Washington Capitals in the second period of an NHL hockey game at UBS Arena on Nov. 30. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
How to judge Jonathan Drouin? It’s a legitimate question for the Islanders.
Because, given Kyle Palmieri’s season-ending knee injury and Bo Horvat’s second lower-body injury absence within a month, Drouin will necessarily be an important cog to the playoff push.
The black-and-white of the scoresheets shows his production to be lagging compared to both previous seasons and the team’s expectations when he was signed to a two-year, $8 million deal to be a top-six wing.
But Drouin’s teammates, who tend to know hockey better than the rest of us, tell a different story.
The 30-year-old Drouin entered Tuesday night’s match against the Devils at UBS Arena with three goals and 16 assists in his first 36 games with the team and had gone 19 games without a goal. He had three assists in his previous two games after going without a point in the six games prior to that and in 15 of 17 matches.
Drouin set career highs with 37 assists and 56 points in 2023-24 with the Avalanche and had a career-high 21 goals along with 32 assists for the Lightning in 2016-17. He had 11 goals and 26 assists in 43 games for the Avalanche last season in an injury-marred campaign.
“He always sees the game well,” captain Anders Lee said. “And he knows how to play it. You’ve got to recognize what you’re needed [to do] in the game at the time. Sometimes, it’s not always about getting points. It’s about playing your position and being in the right spots and supporting your guys. It takes a whole five guys to score a hockey goal and only three get credit for it. I think Dru has done a phenomenal job of playing within our system.
“The points will start coming but I still think he’s playing great hockey.”
Drouin plays a solid, two-way game and his responsibility on the defensive end impresses his teammates. He’s also had a career-long reputation as a player who doesn’t necessarily look to shoot.
And his 5.9 shooting percentage entering Tuesday’s match was the lowest among the Islanders forwards except for fourth-liners Kyle MacLean (4.6%) and Marc Gatcomb (5.0%).
Drouin had taken 51 shots through 36 games. Nine Islanders forwards had taken fewer shots, meaning Drouin has not egregiously shied away from shooting.
However, Palmieri, who was injured on Nov. 28, still had 20 more shots than Drouin.
“You hope you get one [goal] soon, at some point,” Drouin said. “But I don’t go into a game thinking I’ve got to score. If I have to make a pass, I have to make a pass. I’m not shooting 12 pucks on net every night just to get one in. I’m trying to play the game that’s in front of me. If the goals are coming, they’re coming.
“I’m getting looks, which is good. I start worrying if I’m not getting chances. They’re going to start coming in. You keep pushing at it, you keep working at it. But, yeah, for sure, I want to contribute a little more.”
Drouin started Tuesday’s match skating on a second line with fellow French-Canadian Jean-Gabriel Pageau with Simon Holmstrom on the right wing. Coach Patrick Roy put Drouin with Pageau in the first period of Saturday’s 4-3 overtime win over the visiting Maple Leafs.
Count Pageau among Drouin’s fans in the Islanders’ dressing room.
“I’m not worried,” Pageau said of Drouin’s production problems. “I’ve talked to him. I’m pretty close to him on the team. Not only because he’s French but he sits besides me in the room. It all goes to confidence. Sometimes you get one and then they just start coming. He’s playing some good hockey. He’s playing extremely well defensively. But he’s having those chances so I think he’s bringing a lot to our team.”
There’s no denying the quiet professionalism Drouin exudes. His hockey IQ is undeniable.
At some point, though, Drouin will have to produce more.
Notes & quotes: Horvat (lower body) missed his second game but Roy said he would accompany the Islanders on their seven-game road trip, which opens in Nashville on Thursday night . . . Anthony Duclair drew back into the lineup after two games as a healthy scratch, with Max Tsyplakov and defenseman Adam Boqvist the healthy scratches against the Devils.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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