Allan Walsh, the agent for disgruntled Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin, asserted on Wednesday, after Drouin chose not to suit up for Lightning's AHL affiliate and was subsequently suspended indefinitely by the franchise, that Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman had told him recently that a trade involving Drouin was "close."
On Thursday, Yzerman denied that claim.
"We didn't feel it was right to pull the player (from the lineup) since the deal wasn't done," Yzerman told reporters, per Frank Seravalli of TSN. "Teams are watching."
If you think that sounds ominous, get a load of what Yzerman had to say about Drouin and Walsh's decision to make their trade request public:
"Everyone has a choice in how they handle it," Yzerman said.
Yzerman went on to say that the Lightning are "actively and aggressively" attempting to trade Drouin, but that Drouin's decision to hold himself out only serves to hinder the process.
"This obviously can't help," Yzerman told reporters. "My responsibility is to act in the best interest of the hockey club. Does it hurt? I guess time will tell. We are actively trying to find a deal. It doesn't put added pressure on me to make a deal."
A report from Seravalli published earlier on Thursday indicated that at least a dozen teams have shown "serious interest" in potentially acquiring Drouin, the former third-overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft. Of course, a deal very well could have been struck by now, but Seravalli's sources indicated that Yzerman was attempting to create a bidding war by pitting competing offers against one another.
In the end, the Lightning and Yzerman have no obligation to trade Drouin, but for a situation that seems to have become untenable, there may be no real choice other than to see a deal through, especially if it lands a top-end, right-handed defenseman in Tampa.
