“Nobody wants to go to the AHL. I’m thinking about making the team and making more of an impact. Last year a lot of people said it wasn’t my greatest year, but I gained a lot, I learned a lot, and I’m definitely more ready going into the season, into training camp.”
-Jonathan Drouin
20-year old Jonathan Drouin was quoted in July before the 2015-16 season indicating the direction he wanted to go. Coming off of a four-goal, 32-point 2014-15, it was fair to expect that the AHL was the last thing on his mind. Yesterday, he was dealt that very fate. That did not sit well with the 20-year old who was the 3rd overall pick in 2013, provoking quite a starling quote through his agent.
Lightning’s Drouin Requests Trade
A statement from Jonathan Drouin’s agent Allan Walsh regarding his client’s future in TB: pic.twitter.com/Vhwet1IpTW
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 3, 2016
This request comes despite GM Steve Yzerman confirming that Drouin understood the reasons for the transaction. Drouin has put up two goals and eight points in 19 games, but six of those points came in the first five games he played. He has been dealing with some injury troubles this season as the team has, with the Lightning losing 150 man-games lost to injury, fourth in the NHL. This has allowed players like Jonathan Marchessault to get in over Drouin, and he has taken advantage potting six goals and 11 points in 22 games played.
However, Drouin’s usage despite his point totals last season has been quite limited. Last season, his ice time varied between 7:47 at the lowest and 21:15 at the highest. He regularly played fourth line minutes and was healthy scratched throughout the Lightning’s ride to the Stanley Cup Final last season, playing in just six games-one in the first round, two in the second, and three in the Final. This season, it has been much of the same, with Drouin’s low at 9:29 and high at 17:54.
“When you miss a prolonged amount of time, you have it in your best interest to go and get game time. So if you’re not going to play as much here, whether it is in net or up front, that’s the best thing for the player and the team to get players back in game condition and makes them the best player possible.”
-Jon Cooper, Lightning Head Coach
Drouin has denied a rift with head coach Jon Cooper on many occasions, and Yzerman cited that top-line minutes with the Crunch could motivate Drouin to get his game back to 100% rather than playing bottom line minutes with Cooper’s group. However, as mentioned in the comments from Drouin’s agent, the 20-year old wanted out two months ago. The agent, Allan Walsh, has had a history with controversy among his clients from Jaroslav Halak in Montreal and Derick Brassard back when he was with Columbus.
The former Halifax Moosehead is just one of many concerns to the Lightning in the near future, with the headliner being Steven Stamkos and his contract situation. Next year RFAs also include J.T. Brown, Vladislav Namestnikov, Cedric Paquette, Alex Killorn, Marchessault, Nikita Nesterov and Nikita Kucherov. In the 2017 offseason, Victor Hedman, Ben Bishop, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson loom.
Currently, Drouin is under contract until he is an RFA in 2017, so at the moment there is no pressure to make a trade with a big contract in his future. Still, it is quite the predicament for Yzerman to manage with an uncertain future for a few of his stars. What will happen with Drouin? Time will tell to see if he gets a true opportunity with the Lightning, or if it will come with another club.
Main Photo:
Quotes courtesy of NBC ProHockeyTalk, Tampa Bay Times.
Stats courtesy of ESPN, Mangameslost.com, hockeydb.
Salary figures courtesy of CapFriendly
