Tampa Bay Lightning: Should The Bolts Grant Jonathan Drouin’s Trade Request?
Should Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman entertain the thought of granting Lightning left wing Jonathan Drouin’s trade request?
There has certainly been a lot of chaos swirling here in the Bolts Nation over the course of the last 72 hours. The most entertaining part of this whole ordeal is the Tampa Bay Lightning haven’t even been in town during the last 72 hours. While there are so many questions looming regarding the Jonathan Drouin trade situation, there is one question that resounds louder than all the others.
As most of you know by now, on Monday afternoon Jonathan Drouin’s agent Allan Walsh made a public announcement that the young Lightning forward had requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning back in November. Many people here in Tampa Bay find the timing of the announcement really interesting since Drouin’s request was never made public until Drouin was assigned to the Lightning’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.
The question that sticks out more than a red wine stain on fresh white carpet is whether or not Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman should actually entertain Jonathan Drouin’s trade request and begin searching for possible destinations for the 20 year old Lightning winger?
Yzerman is under no obligation to grant his request. Jonathan Drouin is under contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning until the conclusion of the 2016-17 season. Even after the conclusion of next season, Drouin’s future will still be in the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning as Drouin is set to become a Restricted Free Agent.
There are many reasons that could be used to fight for both sides of this argument, but let’s take a look at some of the more obvious ones first. One of the main reasons to keep Drouin as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning is the fact he is still a very young player who is only just starting to make his way through the National Hockey League. If allowed the proper time to develop, he could develop into a top player. The Tampa Bay Lightning did use their 3rd overall selection in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft for a reason, right?
RELATED: Steve Yzerman Will Act ‘In the Best Interest’ of the Tampa Bay Lightning
At the same time, Drouin’s production this season has most certainly left something to be desired. The fact that Drouin has spent a good portion of the season on the sidelines dealing with a nagging injury can be attributed in some form to Drouin’s lack of production this season, but as a professional athlete it’s not about the fall, but how a player is able to get back on track after the injury has healed.
So far this season, Drouin has played in 19 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In that amount of time, Drouin has scored just two goals and six assists for a total of eight points. While Drouin is certainly not at the bottom of the list when it comes to points on the team, other young players like Jonathan Marchessault are quickly making their way up the scoresheet and leaving the Quebec native behind.
Steve Yzerman stated when Drouin was sent to the Syracuse Crunch that this was an opportunity for him to get some real playing time and really have a fair shot at refining his game and getting him ready to make an impact on the Tampa Bay Lightning’s main roster. If Jonathan Drouin goes into this situation with a positive attitude and really puts in the work to get back on top, he will certainly be a valuable asset to the team.
On the other hand, if Drouin is actually sincerely unhappy with the team and its coaching staff there is a very good chance his animosity will lead to an even larger lack of production than he is putting out right this minute.
It almost seems as if Yzerman is caught in a black hole that is violently pulling him in multiple directions. On one hand, if Yzerman elects to trade Drouin, he may very well be missing out on a player who could eventually turn into one of the team’s leaders. Also, if Yzerman were to grant Drouin his trade request, it could be viewed as Yzerman is giving into the underhanded tactics in which Drouin and/or his agent has deployed to get the trade request granted.
At the same time, like we stated before, if there really is some sort of ill will between Jonathan Drouin, his teammates in the locker room and/or the Lightning’s coaching staff, the Lightning could be sabotaging their immediate future by forcing him to stay on a team he has no interest in being on.
RELATED: Jonathan Drouin Requests Trade From Tampa Bay Lightning
After the news of Jonathan Drouin’s trade request hit the media, Steve Yzerman addressed the media to give his response to the announcement made earlier in the day. The most important part of Yzerman’s response is that he vowed to act “in the best interest” of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
While we would certainly not want to be in Yzerman’s shoes right now; however, given his track record in building the Tampa Bay Lightning’s developmental system into one of the strongest in the National Hockey League we have faith whatever Yzerman’s final decision is will be what is best for the Lightning.
Now, we pose a question to all of you in the Bolts Nation. The NHL Trade Deadline is right around the corner, and there are going to be a plethora of players looking for a new place to call home. Do you think Steve Yzerman should grant Drouin’s trade request and look for a player to fill one of the Lightning’s more immediate needs, or do you think he should keep Drouin right where he is and work with him on developing his game?
Cast your vote in our poll and let us know what you think in the comments.
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