Why Jack Drury might be the Avalanche's most valuable under-the-radar forward
Photo credit: Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images
Jack Drury joined the Colorado Avalanche through the Mikko Rantanen trade with the Carolina Hurricanes. The three-team deal, which also included the Chicago Blackhawks, saw Martin Necas and two draft picks head to Colorado as well.
In his last 39 games with the Hurricanes, Drury recorded just three goals and six assists, but don't let that mislead you.
Here's why Jack Drury might be Colorado's most valuable under-the-radar forward in the future.
Brennan Vogt from Hockey Mountain High writes that Drury didn't grab headlines as the centerpiece of the trade, what stood out more to many was his last name. He's the nephew of current New York Rangers GM and former Avalanche forward Chris Drury.
When Jack joined Colorado, he didn't hesitate to don his uncle's old number 18. Fittingly, in just his second game with the Avs, against the Rangers in New York, he scored a goal that ended an 8,282-day drought between Drury family goals for the franchise. The last was Chris Drury's on May 25, 2002 against the Detroit Red Wings.
"Jack Drury came onto Avalanche as a penalty kill specialist and that is exactly what he did for them. He often would play on the fourth or third line with limited minutes. But he understood his role." -Vogt
The team didn't have high expectation for Drury in terms of offensive output, as he had never been a major point producer. His career-best NHL season came just last year, when he tallied a modest 27 points.
"Drury will be back next season and could be the anchor of the penalty kill unit that needed so much work at the start of the season. Having a training camp with the Avalanche will help him adjust even more and start strongly this coming season. Right now, it is unsure who his line mates will be, but Logan O'Connor will probably be one of them." -Vogt
Drury has one year remaining on his current contract, which carries a $1.725 million cap hit. After that, he'll become a restricted free agent and will be eligible for salary arbitration.
| POLL | ||
MAI 31 | 37 ANSWERS Why Jack Drury might be the Avalanche's most valuable under-the-radar forward Will Avalanche forward Jack Drury become a valuable player in Colorado? | ||
| yes | 27 | 73 % |
| no | 10 | 27 % |
| List of polls | ||
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