Montreal Canadiens Jonathan Drouin takes indefinite leave of absence

The Montreal Canadiens are without Jonathan Drouin for the foreseeable future as the forward has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the team.

“The most important thing right now is ‘Jo’ taking care of what he needs to take care of,” Habs coach Dominique Ducharme said Wednesday. “When I heard his name this morning, I don’t think hockey, I think about the person.

“I’m not going to get into the details. All that I wish for him is that he does what he needs to do, that he takes care of his business. We are with him, we support him, his teammates support him. We’re a team and we’re going to remain a team.”

Drouin, 26, is in his fourth season with the Habs and has scored 23 goals in 44 games with the team this year. He’s been out of the lineup since April 21. Drouin has subsequently been placed on the LTIR.

“I don’t want to go into details,” said Habs forward Phillip Danault . “It’s a delicate situation, it’s his private life. It’s not easy. … We’re sad for ‘Jo’. … I know what it’s like to play in Montreal. This is his life. I worry about ‘Jo’. He’s my friend. We are Quebecers together in Montreal. But sometimes there are things more important than hockey.”

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.