Jonathan Drouin Could Make A Return To Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman has left the door open for estranged Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin to return to the team.
Unless you have been living under a rock over the course of the last two months, there is no way someone here in the Bolts Nation has not heard about the overwhelming drama going on between the Tampa Bay Lightning and their estranged rookie winger Jonathan Drouin.
Just in case you are not familiar with the situation, allow us to quickly break it down for you. On January 2nd, Jonathan Drouin was assigned to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. This was considered to be a conditioning assignment as Drouin had just come off a lengthy injury. While Drouin was clearly not happy with the team’s decision, he did report as ordered.
Unfortunately, Drouin had no intention of making the trip to Syracuse quietly. The very next day, as the Tampa Bay Lightning were making their way to Calgary to take on the Calgary Flames, Jonathan Drouin’s agent Allan Walsh issued a statement stating his client had made a request to be traded back in November.
As you can imagine, this came as a shock, not just to everyone here in the Bolts Nation, but the players in the locker room as well. When asked about Drouin, many players stated they had no idea the situation was as it appeared to be.
The next day, which brings us to January 4th, Drouin announced he would speak with the media the following day in Syracuse. Unfortunately, what people didn’t know is that Drouin had no intention of speaking about the trade request. This just added fuel to the already burning flames of speculation.
Despite the impending media circus, Drouin did report to the Syracuse Crunch as directed. In his first game with the Crunch, Drouin would score two goals. Given the situation at hand, this would seem like excellent progress for a player preparing to make his return to the main roster. Unfortunately, with the exception of one assist, this would be the end of the young winger’s scoring.
On January 20th, things went from bad to nuclear when Jonathan Drouin decided to take his skates and stick and go home; refusing to report for the Syracuse Crunch’s game against the Toronto Marlies. This left Steve Yzerman with no choice other than to suspend Jonathan Drouin indefinitely without pay.
Now, as the NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, it has been 40 days and counting since Jonathan Drouin has taken the ice with the Tampa Bay Lightning organization. In the wake of his suspension, Jonathan Drouin released another statement via Allan Walsh basically stating he has no intention of returning to the Tampa Bay Lightning in any capacity.
"“In light of the latest developments it is clearly in both sides best interests that the Tampa Bay Lightning trade Jonathan as there is no reason for Jonathan to continue with the Tampa Bay Lightning organization in any capacity.”"
Many people believed the Tampa Bay Lightning would be making a move before today’s 3:00 p.m. NHL Trade Deadline that would see Jonathan Drouin find a new home to call his own. Unfortunately for Drouin, when the clock struck 3:00 p.m., there was no such deal in place and he was left to sit on his couch for the remainder of the season.
Here is where things start to get a little bit interesting. It’s pretty plain to see there is no love lost between Steve Yzerman and Jonathan Drouin, but it seems as if Steve Yzerman has not yet closed the door on the possibility of Drouin making a return to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s lineup.
While addressing the media this afternoon regarding the lack of moves the Tampa Bay Lightning made at the Trade Deadline, Yzerman was quite clear the door was still open, but the puck was ultimately in Drouin’s zone.
"“Jon is suspended. If he wants to come back and play, the door is open.” Yzerman said. “That’s up to him. So, his status is what it was.”"
There are only a handful of ways this scenario can play out, but at the end of the day the decision is ultimately in the hands of Jonathan Drouin. The first option, which would more than likely be the most beneficial for both parties, would be that Drouin suck up his ego and get back to playing hockey with the Syracuse Crunch. If Drouin puts in the work and proves he deserves to be on the main roster, then that is where he’ll end up.
Another scenario that could play out is that he swallows his pride and gets back to work in Syracuse in the hopes that he gets traded at some point between now and the off-season. This is one of the least likely scenarios to play out wherein that there is not a lot of security for either party involved and plenty of room for something undesirable to creep in and send this situation into a tailspin.
The other, and the one that seems like the plan at the moment, is that Drouin continues on as he is and stay at home on his couch and watch as the Tampa Bay Lightning potentially make their way to the postseason without him. Unfortunately, should this be the option Drouin chooses to go with, he may very well be signing his professional death certificate.
Related Story: Drouin Continues To Prove What We Suspected All Along
First of all, without Drouin on the ice to showcase the talent he possesses, there is no way for scouts from other organizations to make the determination on whether or not Drouin would fit into their current strategy. Secondly, if you were the General Manager of another hockey club, how inclined would you be to sign someone who could very well pull the same stunt on your one day when they don’t get what they want when they want it? Not very likely, one would presume.
Pretty much every player in the Lightning locker room had a positive opinion of Jonathan Drouin. Should Drouin decide he wants to make a return at some point between now and the end of the regular season, it is pretty safe to say he would be welcomed back in the locker room. Despite the hard feelings that are no doubt there between Jonathan Drouin and hockey operations, hockey is ultimately a business where professionalism reigns supreme.
Let’s be honest here for a moment. Jonathan Drouin is an incredibly talented player with a lot of potential to be a breakout star in the National Hockey League. Unfortunately, whether it was his ego or a lack of good management, Drouin has allowed himself to fall face first into a horrific situation between him and his hockey club. If he can manage to get past this and get back on the ice, there is a good chance he can still achieve greatness. Unfortunately, if left the way it is, we may have seen the last of Jonathan Drouin.
As Yzerman said earlier today, the door is open if Drouin wants to make a return. At this point, the only person who can fix things is Jonathan Drouin himself. Whether or not he plans to make said changes is yet to be seen. There is plenty of hockey left to play this season. Let’s hope he makes a decision soon.
Next: Has The Trade Market Soured In Jonathan Drouin’s Absence?
What are your thoughts on the Jonathan Drouin situation? Would you like to see him work his way back into a Lightning uniform, or do you think that ship has sailed once and for all? Maybe you’re one of those who feel Yzerman should make an example of Drouin and let him sit in silence? Let us know what you think in the comments below.