Canadiens: Patrik Laine Is Not Jonathan Drouin

After Patrik Laine spoke to the media on Monday night, it was easy to draw a parallel between the big Finn and Jonathan Drouin. Both were confident and happy to sign with Montreal and both said they loved playing in a hockey market. There are players who thrive under pressure and feed off it, but not every player can do it.

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The Similarities

It wasn't surprising that Tony Marinaro brought up the similarities between the two on the evening's episode of The Sick Podcast. The media availability did bring me back to Drouin's contract signing in 2017. On that day Drouin said:

I think I will [thrive under Montreal's pressure] , obviously there is that pressure of playing in Montreal, everybody knowns that, but for me as a player, I'd rather have that pressure on myself than some other places, but like I said I'm a French-Canadian and I'm going to thrive with that pressure, I like that stuff. I've played at the Bell Centre as an away guy and just to be on the home side will be even better.

Unfortunately, he couldn't live up to the many expectations he faced: his own, management's and the fans'. Is it possible that it happens for Laine? Well, they do say never say never but there are a few sizable differences between the two scenarios.

Related: Canadiens: About the Harris-Laine Trade

The Trades

Drouin was traded for Mikhail Sergachev who was, at the time, the organization's most prized prospect, but Laine comes to town with a second-round pick in his suitcase as a bonus and the defenseman who goes the other way was surplus to requirement. I mean no disrespect to Harris, I genuinely like the player and the human being, but the blueline is overcrowded.

You must also consider the premise of the trade, when Drouin landed in Montreal, fans were told he would be the number one center the Canadiens had longed for since time immemorial. Granted, it's a bit of an overstatement. Vincent Damphousse was in town for the last Stanley Cup and was traded away in 1999, but for fans under 30 years old, the name doesn't mean that much. Drouin wasn't and isn't a center, the experiment was unfair on him and it was done without a safety net, leaving him to crash down to earth face first.

The Local Pride

On top of that, as Drouin said himself, he was French-Canadian. Whether fans like it or not, that added a tremendous amount of pressure on him. Every single year at the draft, there are people to criticize the picks, lamenting the absence of top Quebec-born talent. Of course, when the media heard the former third-overall draft pick from 2013 was coming to town, they immediately built him up to be the savior, the talented Quebec born hockey god to follow in Guy Lafleur's footsteps. Laine doesn't have that weight to carry. He's not the hope of a nation.

Not the Right Market

There are also those who say Laine is cut from the same cloth as Drouin, both having spent time in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and that he won't be able to deal with the fans and media in Montreal. Granted this can be a tough market, but it did calm down after Drouin spoke out about mental health upon exiting the program. One can hope that fans and media alike have learned from the experience.

Unlike Drouin, Laine was traded to Montreal but he didn't sign a big bucks extension when he got here. He comes with a big cap hit, but the Canadiens have the money to accommodate it. He does become the highest paid forward on the team, but Hughes isn't the one who gave him the massive deal. By the time Laine's contract is up, so will Carey Price's and that will clear a lot of room on the cap to either extend Laine if he works out, or go hunting for big game in free agency.

Yes, there are similarities between Laine's and Drouin's arrival, but the only thing that's exactly the same, is the crest and number on the Tricolore jersey the big Finn will be wearing.

Related

Patrik Laine Speaks With Members of the Montreal Media Following Trade to the Canadiens
Canadiens: GM Kent Hughes Discusses Laine Trade Acquisition

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