The plot thickens in Tampa Bay. Not only is there rumors that Steven Stamkos will be leaving town in the offseason, but now a Jonathan Drouin trade request has surfaced.
The former third overall pick in 2013 has requested a trade. Dated back to November, Drouin’s agent Allan Walsh released a public statement Sunday night. Walsh says, “On behalf of Jonathan Drouin, I formally requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning back in November.” Walsh further added, “We have not said one word about this untenable situation publicly until today. It’s in everyone’s best interests that Jonathan be allowed to move on and play hockey. Let’s be clear, Jonathan loves playing for the fans in Tampa, he loves his teammates and many people within the Lightning organization have treated him well. It was his sincere intention to play in Tampa for many years.”
This marks GM Steve Yzerman’s third public example of friction with big name players within the Lightning organization. In Yzerman’s six seasons at the helm of the Tampa Bay Lightning, he has been at the center of Martin St.Louis’ issues and trade request, the situation of not being able to re-sign Stamkos yet, and now the Drouin trade request.
Yzerman also released a statement regarding the situation, saying, “We acknowledge, via communication from his agent, Jonathan Drouin’s request to be traded. Moving forward, my sole intention is to act in the best interest of the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey club. In the meantime, Jonathan has been assigned to our American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, and we expect him to report for practice with the rest of his teammates this Tuesday morning.
Drouin, 20, has appeared in just 19 games this season in the NHL. Sidelined with two separate minor injuries has cut into his availability. He has totaled a mere eight points in that time on two goals and six assists. Yzerman told reporters that sending Drouin down to the AHL was a decision made “specifically so he gets playing time.”
Only playing in nine games in the last nine weeks has left him on the outside looking in. Drouin, finally at 100 percent, has a good opportunity to show either the Lightning that he deserves to play top six minutes, or potential suitors that he’s worth the price they're going to have to pay.
The hardest part for Steve Yzerman will be finding value between Drouin’s potential and what he’s currently shown at the NHL level. Playing 10 minutes on the third and fourth line isn’t going to let Drouin thrive. He isn’t a role player and isn’t going to lay out opposing players. He is under six feet tall and is only 188 pounds, not exactly built for the rough and tumble.
Drouin played with Stamkos at the beginning of the season and recorded six points in five games. He was a +4 and was averaging around 15 minutes a game. Stamkos has four goals in those games as well. Coach Jon Cooper pulled Drouin off the number one line and his struggles were immediate. Drouin was pointless in the next nine games and even Stamkos didn’t play much better.
This doesn’t prove much besides the fact that Steven Stamkos can make players around him better, but that was already known. This situation is eerily similar to the Tyler Seguin ordeal with the Boston Bruins. A supremely talented player, buried on a deep roster and getting bottom six line minutes. Seguin, as very well documented, went to the Dallas Stars and was given the minutes and freedom to shine. The rest is on the score cards and Jonathan Drouin could very well pull the same stunt.
Offensive players need offensive player minutes. You can’t get 30+ goals out of 10 minutes a game. Drouin needs offensive players around him to work with and putting him with a slumping Stamkos might not be the worst idea. Tampa isn’t exactly where they want to be right now and a shake up might just be what the doctor ordered. With Yzerman rubbing star players the wrong way, everyone will have to wait and see how this situation runs its course.