Jonathan Drouin, come on down. You're up next on "How to Replace Steven Stamkos."
The Tampa Bay Lightning, looking ahead to the NHL playoffs even as they attempt to absorb the breath-stealing body blow of captain Stamkos' season-ending blood clot issue, announced on Thursday that they had finally done what nearly everyone in and around the NHL had expected from them - they recalled Drouin from their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.
Drouin, of course, is the former third-overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft who, to this point of his professional career is most well-known for his trade request prior to puck drop on the 2015-16 season. When the Lightning and GM Steve Yzerman didn't act quickly enough to satisfy his demands, Drouin and agent Allan Walsh chose to go publish with their request, igniting a firestorm of controversy around a Lightning team hopeful of making another deep run through the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Drouin situation dogged Tampa Bay all season and though Jon Cooper's group stumbled at times, they were ultimately able to put it aside and focus on the season at hand. Now sitting comfortable in a playoff spot, Tampa Bay will again turn to the man once considered a soon-to-be former Lightning player.
To Drouin's credit, after an early hiccup at Syracuse that saw him suspended indefinitely and when the NHL trade deadline passed without a deal coming to fruition, the light seemed to go on somewhat. He called Yzerman and asked that he be reinstated to the Crunch so that he could continue to play and develop.
Yzerman granted this request, and since that time, Drouin has played well in the AHL. All told, Drouin appeared in 17 games for the Crunch, collecting 11 goals and 13 points.
For the Lightning, attempting to replace Stamkos is a pointless undertaking. He's too talented and he brings too expansive and unique a skillset for any one player, let alone a 21-year-old with 89 professional games and 6 NHL goals to his name, to truly fill his oversized shoes.
But there aren't going to be any better options walking through the door to Cooper or Yzerman's office anytime soon. Drouin has talent and he has the ability, assuming he's used this experience as a motivating factor and actually taken a step forward in his mental and emotional development, to be a boon - if not necessarily an integral piece - to the Lightning for their playoff run.
It won't be easy for Tampa Bay to make their way to the Cup Finals again without Stamkos. If they do, it almost certainly won't be because of Drouin, but at the very least he should be able to provide some quality ice time and a handful of points.
