Players, coach Dominique Ducharme, and general manager Marc Bergevin met with reporters on Friday, and the latter finally provided an update on Drouin's condition.
The Canadiens announced in late April that Drouin will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team due to personal issues. Teammates, particularly Phillip Danault, a French-speaking player from Quebec, had spoken openly about what was bothering Drouin and how serious the situation was, including bullying and mental health.
Drouin's mental health was clearly in need of a break from all of the burden that had been placed on his shoulders. Drouin hasn't played since a game against the Edmonton Oilers on April 21st. He was seen conversing with team trainers during warm-ups for the next game and did not return to compete. Since then, he has missed Montreal's previous three games due to a "non-COVID ailment." He had spent the entire day alone in his hotel room... Drouin has two goals and 21 assists in 44 games this season. He was also asked by a reporter how he felt about his lack of goals this year, and he responded with annoyance that his stat sheet had another vital column, point totals.
On Friday, Bergevin revealed what he could to media, stating that Drouin is doing much better. However, he couldn't comment on his future right now.
