If you’re one of the many who want the Colorado Avalanche to re-sign Jonathan Drouin, his agent’s words on Friday have to make you feel pretty good about the chances of a deal getting done.
On his Agent Provocateur podcast, Allan Walsh, Jonathan Drouin’s agent, praised the Avalanche organization when asked where his client’s head is at and how he feels after a career year in Denver.
“I would say what Colorado allowed him to do, being there and having the familiarity of his old linemate and very close friend of Junior, allowed him to rekindle his passion for playing,” Walsh said.
Walsh spoke anxiously of Drouin’s well-documented history and mentions that when he talks to Drouin now, it’s obvious he’s in a tremendous place in his personal life. That’s great to hear and was very evident in the locker room as the 29-year-old winger was always in the mood to talk to any member of the media.
Walsh continued to be enthusiastic about the entire Colorado front office and coaching staff.
“Not enough credit has been given to the Avalanche as an organization,” the agent said. “From the management that gave him the opportunity, the coaching staff, Jonathan can’t think more highly of that coaching staff, to the guys in the room that took him in and brought him in and he feels, it’s like ‘Allan, I feel like I’ve played here for the last five years.’”
Earlier this week, it was reported that Walsh and Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland would meet this week to discuss a potential contract extension. That meeting has already occurred.
“I don’t want to speak specifically. I met with Chris MacFarland in Buffalo (at the combine),” Walsh said. “I had a great meeting with him. Both sides have also been quite public about how we want to reach an agreement, they want to reach an agreement. When both parties want to reach an agreement, agreements are made.”
Both parties want to reach an agreement and have just over three weeks to make it a reality. Drouin, who was nominated for the Colorado Masters this year, will hit the open market on July 1 and will be a coveted player if that happens. After seeing how well he played with Nathan MacKinnon, you can bet other teams with top centers were taking notice. There are quite a few top centers who could use a good linemate, and if Colorado can’t find the cap space to complete a deal for Drouin, it will have plenty of suitors.
Walsh also talked a little bit about how difficult it is to play in a city like Montreal or Toronto compared to a city like Denver, where there just isn’t as much media and you can get away from the court and be a little bit more. anonymous. Drouin’s talk begins around 44:30 and can be heard here.
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