The 2016 NHL trade deadline was a quiet time for most teams. Unexpectedly quiet. The normal fireworks failed to go off in just about every professional hockey city with only a handful of teams walking away with additions that will play a major role during the playoff push. For the Tampa Bay Lightning, the desire was always a right-handed defenseman or a power play boost and the expected currency was embattled forward Jonathan Drouin.
But despite the weeks and months of speculation regarding Drouin's short and long-term NHL future, he wound up staying put at the deadline. And while that would probably lead many to assume the next three or four months before the NHL draft in June will be contentious ones for the franchise and the player, it sounds like things are headed in a more positive direction.
Lightning GM Steve Yzerman told reporters that Drouin called him last week and "expressed an interest" in returning to the club's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. On Monday, it was announced that Drouin's indefinite suspension had been lifted and that Drouin will be reporting to Syracuse for practice on Tursday.
Drouin, 20, has been suspended since Jan. 20 after he failed to report to a Crunch game. Through agent Allan Walsh, Drouin requested a trade early in the season, which was then made public by Walsh in November after little headway was made on a deal. Since that time, Yzerman has been adamant that while he was and has been willing to seek out a trade involving Drouin, he would only do a deal that was a net positive for the franchise.
In the lead up to the deadline, it was assumed that Yzerman would be willing to trade Drouin for a piece that would allow the Lightning to "win now." But after the deadline came and went without a Drouin trade and really, little in the way of movement from the Lightning and the rest of the league, Yzerman told reporters that he wasn't looking for a rental. Instead, he had his eyes on "future" moves.
It's an interesting way for Yzerman to phrase things considering Drouin was, for a time, considered the future of the franchise. The former No. 3-overall pick, Drouin appeared in 70 NHL games as a rookie, collecting 4 goals and 32 points. And while the numbers weren't stellar and Drouin struggled with injuries early in the 2015-16 campaign, his talent still was and always has been readily apparent.
With Drouin headed back to the Crunch, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the player and the team. For his part, Yzerman at least sounds like a man willing to consider just about any outcome at this point.
Asked if there was a chance Drouin could end up with the Lightning at some point this season, Yzerman was unequivocal.
"Yes," Yzerman said. "I will do what's best for the team and if Jonathan is playing well and is the right fit, I certainly wouldn't exclude that possibility."
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