Drouin is not worth that much lol

Most forecasting sites have him at $5.3M based on this last year's production. Given that premium options like Guentzel, Marchessault and Stamkos are going to still secure the bag, I see a bidding war for that next tier, which includes Drouin, who took a one-year cheap deal as a "show-me" contract. With the cap going up, teams are going to throw money at players in free agency. I think this is a better option than having the likes of Pius Suter on the 1st line; he complemented the play MacKinnon nicely this season and JT plays in a similar fashion.

Duclair would be cheaper

Maybe so. I think Drouin still fits the need better for a Miller line. Higher skill. Better career possession metrics.