Jonathan Drouin and Avalanche were perfect short-term match, but now comes the hard part

Jonathan Drouin authored one of the best stories in the NHL this season and provided the Colorado Avalanche with incredible value.

Now, the question is will both sides be able to agree on a new contract to make this short-term partnership a longer one? There is certainly a will to make it happen on both sides, but the way remains a little less certain.

“I’m going to dwell on this loss for a bit. It’s going to sting for a couple days,” Droun said shortly after Colorado’s double-overtime loss Friday night in Game 6 of their second-round series vs. the Dallas Stars. “I would love to come back here and sign here. I’ve loved my time here. My family has loved our time here. It’s a great group.”

Drouin set a career-high with 56 points, including 19 goals, after joining the club on a one-year, $825,000 contract. It was a classic “show me” contract. Drouin was a former phenom who had been through a handful of rough seasons with his hometown Montreal Canadiens.

He needed an opportunity to rebuild his value for the second half of his NHL career. The Avs needed a forward who could potentially play in the top six but didn’t take up a lot of cap space. They did offer the chance to play on a skilled, fast team and to reunite with Nathan MacKinnon, whom he had won the Memorial Cup with in Halifax.

It worked out about as well as either side could have imagined.

“Obviously I had tough years in Montreal so to come here and play with this team, find my way as the year went on, it was cool,” Drouin said. “Great bunch of guys, the staff is awesome. It’s a great place to play hockey.”

Drouin had 11 more points than any other player on a standard, non-rookie contract that cost less than $1 million against the cap. It wasn’t just the offensive production. He became a trusted two-way player for the Avs, something that was not part of his reputation before arriving in Denver.

He got off to a slow start to the season and was even a healthy scratch at one point, but by the end of it he was entrenched as one of the club’s most integral players. Losing him in Game 82 after a skate cut to his leg did not cost the Avs in the opening round against Winnipeg, but he was clearly missed early in the Dallas series.

“Obviously, it was a good year for me, definitely took some steps forward toward my game, how I want to play,” Drouin said. “Credit to a lot of people here, from the coaching staff to the players. It’s a hell of a group.”

Now, for the hard part. There are only eight forwards who are pending unrestricted free agents who had more points than Drouin this season. Of those eight, only one (Florida’s Sam Reinhart) is older than Drouin, who will turn 30 in March.

If Drouin wants a big contract, there will likely be one out there for him. Here’s a look at what the other forwards who were between the ages of 28 and 30 and finished with between 53 and 59 points cost this past season (view chart on mobile here):

Monahan is also a UFA and will double, if not triple his price this offseason. The others all made $4 million-plus.

The Avs do not have a lot of cap space. They do have plenty of uncertainty with what happens next for Gabe Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin.

It’s also clear that with those uncertainties, retaining Drouin or finding a top-six wing to replace him is going to be a huge need/priority before next season.

“I hope (he comes back),” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Yeah, I mean, that’ll be up to him, his agent (and) management. He’s well-liked in our locker room. Certainly like his ability and his talent and the way he played for us this year, so hopefully we can get it done.

“He was a great teammate, and I love the improvement in his game, the growth in his game on both sides of the puck.”

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