Josh Anderson is still quite a horse and one of my favorite players on the Montreal Canadiens. When Marc Bergevin acquired him from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Max Domi, I fell off my chair and was so excited. Anderson, really?
We're talking about a 5-hour, 7-hour or 8-hour train here, it's a train. He skates like the wind and when he enters the opponent's territory in possession of the disc, he rushes to the net like a train, precisely. Along the ramps, in territory, he is fabulous and dominant. His charisma and size make him one of the great leaders of the Montreal team.
But, Anderson, like many hockey players, has one major flaw in his game... he is sorely lacking in "hockey IQ". He often makes questionable decisions with the puck and is slow to distribute it more often than not. This flaw doesn't seem to bother the fans and yet it is very obvious.
It is as obvious as Jonathan Drouin's main flaw, his fear of facing heavy traffic. Drouin is not the type of player to be physical. He avoids standing along the boards, simply because it's not his style of play. A lot of people focus on that, when he has a whole range of qualities.
Drouin is creative, he's fluid, he's got speed, he has amazing hands, he's still an exceptional passer and he's a great "student" of the game. He listens to a lot of games, he knows all the players, he trains like crazy on the ice, he works overtime... and he was imperious in front of the media before his break.
Isn't that a nice quality? So let yourself be charmed by these, you'll see how good he is, Jo Drouin.
