It isn't an exaggeration to say the former Halifax Mooseheads superstar might've been down to his final chance in the NHL less than a year ago. He was coming off a fourth straight underwhelming season with the Montreal Canadiens - at least by the standards expected from a No. 3 overall draft pick - and there wasn't exactly a long line of suitors looking to sign him as a free agent in the off-season.
"To be nominated for an award like that is cool," Drouin said in a recent media session."We have a lot of guys here who work hard and dedicate themselves to hockey, and I do as well. It's awesome." Back in 2021, Drouin had to step away from the game because of the unrelenting weight of anxiety and insomnia struggles. He took the time he needed to rebuild his mental health to the point where he could function again at a baseline level as a person and hockey player.
"I guess for some people we just play hockey and in the go-go-go of it, they expect some stuff," he told Angley."But we're human. A lot of us have kids, families and friends. I don't think five-to-six years ago it would have been OK to talk about it or even go see someone and get some help or get some on a lot of stuff that you're really clueless about – and for me, that was my biggest thing.