Patrick Roy was very familiar with Jonathan Drouin, the phenom, from his days coaching against him in the QMJHL.

A dozen years later, they’ve been reunited in the NHL with the New York Islanders. Roy is a different coach in his second go-round behind an NHL bench.

And Drouin is a different player than he was as a teenager terrorizing opposing defenses alongside Nathan MacKinnon for the Halifax Mooseheads.

“He’s very mature right now,” Roy said. “When he was in junior, he was a phenomenal playmaker. When he was playing with Nathan in Halifax, they were always a threat, and they were the leaders of their team. What I love about his game right now is that he is playing both sides. He makes really good plays for (Mathew Barzal), but he also defends really well. The 200-foot game that he’s playing shows me a lot of maturity in his game.

“I’m very impressed with him.”

Drouin’s evolution as a player has not happened on a linear path, but his two years with the Colorado Avalanche did wonders to rebuild his career and his value. The Avs got him on a bargain one-year deal after an up-and-down tenure with the Montreal Canadiens.

He fit in well and earned another one-year deal. Eventually, it was time to ask for more, and the Avalanche — with Gabe Landeskog coming back and Brock Nelson needing a long-term deal — could not provide it.

“It sucked. Obviously, sometimes you’ve got to do a decision for your family and for other reasons,” Drouin said. “I enjoyed my time in Colorado. I would have loved to stay here for the rest of my career, but the business side of it doesn’t allow it sometimes. You’ve got to move on and do different things.”

Drouin’s relationship with MacKinnon got him in the door with the Avs, but he became an integral member of the club for two seasons on his own. He had 19 goals and 56 points two seasons ago, then 11 goals and 37 points in just 43 games last year.

His development as a two-way player was a consistent talking point with Avs coach Jared Bednar. That was something Roy echoed. Drouin had 14 points in his first 17 games with the Islanders.

“He’s been a great addition for us,” Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri said. “I think he’s a guy you can put with anybody, and he elevates that line. He’s done a great job so far, and hopefully he continues to get better and more comfortable. It’s awesome to have a guy like that in your room and your lineup.”

When last season ended, it was pretty clear there wouldn’t be room for Drouin in Denver unless he was willing to take a discount again. Asking a player to do that multiple times in the prime of their career just isn’t feasible. Drouin said there were plenty of talks with the Avalanche, but he also knew before the free-agent market opened that a return wasn’t going to happen.

So on July 1, Drouin went back to the Eastern Conference, signing a two-year, $8 million deal with the Islanders. That meant parting ways with MacKinnon.

“It was tough,” Drouin said. “Obviously, he brought me here. He was one of the main reasons I came here. It’s a very close group over there. It sucked to leave. Some of those happen as part of the business, I guess.”

Landing with the Islanders has meant a few reunions. Drouin and Anthony Duclair have been friends going back even before his Halifax days with MacKinnon. He knew Roy well, but he’s also played for assistant coach Ray Bennett with the Avs.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – A multi-vehicle crash left lanes of a busy road closed south of downtown Colorado Springs on Saturday, according to police.

They told 11 News they responded to the crash a little before 7 p.m. at South Nevada and Southgate/Cheyenne Road.

Springs police said they believe a driver ran a red light there and crashed into three other vehicles, causing one to flip over. At least one person was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, according to police.

That intersection was closed while police investigated. So far, they said it’s early in the investigation and they are still looking into what happened.

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