It's safe to say that Jonathan Drouin is making an impression in Colorado. The former Montreal Canadien is having a solid season overall, but the honeymoon phase with his good friend Nathan MacKinnon might be coming to an end.
With 43 points and a salary well below his value, Drouin is a real bargain for Jared Bednar's squad. However, salary cap reality poses a problem.
Indeed, the Avalanche have $13.25 million available for next season with 10 pending free agents to sign, plus they need to come to terms with young Casey Mittelstadt. That's a lot.
You can see where I'm going with this. Money might be tight for the Avalanche, and signing Drouin, who will command a significant raise, becomes less of a priority.
Players will have to leave Colorado this summer, and Jo could be one of them. After all, he's shown this year that he deserves a spot on a good team, and while he's not worth $10 million a year, he's certainly worth $4 or $5 million.