We've known it since early July: Jonathan Drouin has officially left the Habs through free agency, and will be playing in Colorado this season. During the year, the forward was asked if he wanted to extend his stay in Montreal, and many rumours had it that he would. He recently broke his silence again on this question, and unlike a few months ago, when he said he wanted to continue in Montreal, his words have changed. <q>As soon as I signed with the Avalanche, I put the Canadiens aside. I think both sides (the CH and him) agreed to part ways. I enjoyed my last year with Martin St-Louis and the other coaches, but I think for me it was time to move on. - Jonathan Drouin</q> So Jo never came close to extending his contract in Montreal, even though having him under 1 million a year is a real bargain. Don't imagine he wanted to lie to reporters when asked. Drouin really enjoyed his last year and some great moments in Montreal, but he couldn't have said his intention was to leave months before the end of the season. Nevertheless, Jo looked happy and well when he was interviewed by the media at his golf tournament for the Fondation du CHUM. He was looking forward to reconnecting with his old teammate, Nathan MacKinnon. <q> I'm really happy to see him again! We had some great years in junior. He was my driver. So if he wasn't getting up to go to school, I wasn't going either! So he decided whether I went to school in the morning (laughs). We spent all our time together. To be able to play with him 10 years later will certainly be special. I'm convinced that this club is the best fit for me. I know a lot of the guys (MacKinnon, Artturi Lehkonen, Samuel Girard) and the team favors an up-tempo style of play. I really think it's the ideal place for me to go from here. - Jonathan Drouin</q> Please join me in wishing him a great year in Colorado. After all, we wish him every success and happiness! <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/Antho_Martineau/status/1696574253020180622?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1696574253020180622%7Ctwgr%5Eda1d155bb76809b44bbd1b38999a2cd0ca84203e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.habsetlnh.com%2FCanadien-de-Montreal-Jonathan-Drouin-vient-de-confirmer-une-grosse-rumeur-270693'> </a></blockquote></div>