Montreal Gazette

SKILL AND CHARISMA

Drouin lets us dream: Todd

- JACK TODD Special to Postmedia News jacktodd46@yahoo.com twitter.com/jacktodd46

It’s a mercy the NHL had a roster freeze for the expansion draft. Otherwise, I half expected to wake up and find GM Marc Bergevin had dealt the Bell Centre to Los Angeles for the Staples Center and future considerat­ions.

As it is, I woke from a futile attempt at a nap on a June afternoon to discover brilliant blue-line prospect Mikhail Sergachev had been dealt to Tampa for brilliant forward Jonathan Drouin. And before the ink was dry on all the instant analyses of that deal, problem child Nathan Beaulieu had been shuffled off to Buffalo for a thirdround­er.

My first take on the SergachevD­rouin deal was Bergevin had been pressured into it by hysterical fans and one or two equally hysterical journalist­s.

My second take was Bergevin did get a bona fide upfront scoring star in Drouin and one who fills a couple of other important criteria for this market: 1) he’s smart, a characteri­stic that becomes more and more important when you consider the failures of players like Beaulieu; 2) he seems to thrive in the limelight, and if you’re going to be a bilingual francophon­e star in this market, you had best love some microphone­s.

Drouin has what is known in today’s rather silly vernacular as “mad skills,” although the only people he makes mad are the checkers trying to contain him. He’s a player and, yes, he did play centre a bit in Tampa, so for the moment you’re allowed to dream of a top line featuring Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov, with Drouin in the middle.

That’s until Bergevin finds he can’t sign Radulov and his offence is basically stuck where it was before the deal, pending any further trades he has up his sleeve, if you want to take the pessimisti­c view. But we can see the outlines forming of a pretty exciting team, once Bergevin is done reshaping his lineup.

As far as Beaulieu is concerned, when you look at the protected list, it’s pretty clear the Canadiens were up against it. Jordie Benn might be the surprise on the list, but the way he played after he was acquired from the Dallas Stars at the trade deadline, there was no way the Habs could fail to protect Benn, along with Shea Weber and Jeff Petry.

Beaulieu should be a regular in Buffalo, but he is not going to be a regular in this league and his frequent brain cramps make him a liability in the eyes of coach Claude Julien, whose opinion matters.

It’s the loss of Sergachev that really hurts. I was very much looking forward to seeing this young man establishe­d as a regular on the blue line, where he is as fluid in his lateral movement as any young defenceman you’ll see. Sergachev has a way of holding the line almost effortless­ly — and he’s only going to get better.

But you rarely get something for nothing and there is another dimension to this deal, although those who can’t understand why the Montreal coach must speak French won’t understand it: the Canadiens desperatel­y needed a bona fide French Canadian offensive star.

Immediatel­y after the trade, someone said Drouin will be the most charismati­c skater the Canadiens have had since Stéphane Richer. I would go all the way back to Guy Lafleur. Richer was a pure sniper for the brief time his talent flourished and he could light up the net and the Forum, but Drouin’s skills and charisma are more comparable to Lafleur’s.

That’s not saying he will be another Lafleur. The kid has enough pressure on him here without that. But he will bring them out of their seats at the Bell Centre on a regular basis. With Drouin, Phillip Danault, French-speaking Paul Byron and possibly Charles Hudon in the lineup, the Canadiens will have a renewed claim to the old Flying Frenchmen moniker.

But will they win? Even venturing a guess as to how this team will fare would be foolhardy. Bergevin, the GM who has often been damned as too cautious, has now pulled off two blockbuste­rs in as many off-seasons and he is surely not done yet.

The projected blue line is a little thin without Sergachev and Beaulieu. But the Canadiens do have prospect Noah Juulsen and Jakub Jeřábek, the 25-year-old Czech defenceman signed in May. Jeřábek is a completely unknown quantity in NHL terms, but his profile is not dissimilar to that of Arturri Lehkonen, who arrived here after considerab­le seasoning in the Swedish Elite League. Jeřábek had 34 points in the tough KHL last season, so at the very least, he’s a solid prospect.

The bottom line is the screamers who wanted offence upfront got it. Drouin is going to do things that will boggle a few minds. If Bergevin can address his need for an offensive centreman (or move Drouin to centre), this team will score goals.

It’s probably a futile hope, but perhaps now we can all hush a while and let Bergevin do his work.

Losing Mikhail Sergachev hurts, but you very rarely get something for nothing.

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 ?? CHRISTINNE MUSCHI ?? Jonathan Drouin, above, gives the Canadiens a legitimate French Canadian offensive star. With Drouin, Phillip Danault, French-speaking Paul Byron and possibly Charles Hudon in the lineup, the Canadiens could have a renewed claim to the old Flying Frenchmen moniker.
CHRISTINNE MUSCHI Jonathan Drouin, above, gives the Canadiens a legitimate French Canadian offensive star. With Drouin, Phillip Danault, French-speaking Paul Byron and possibly Charles Hudon in the lineup, the Canadiens could have a renewed claim to the old Flying Frenchmen moniker.
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