Tampa Bay Lightning: Jonathan Drouin Will Have To Earn Locker Room Respect

Tampa Bay Lightning Jonathan Drouin has a long road in front of him when it comes to earning the respect of his peers after his most recent actions.

The Tampa Bay Lightning has dealt with more than their fair share of drama this season. The Lightning has worked through numerous injuries, the uncertainty in the Steven Stamkos contract situation, and more recently the ridiculous amount of drama surrounding the Jonathan Drouin situation. Thankfully, at least for now, the Jonathan Drouin saga has been put to bed and he has returned to the Syracuse Crunch.

Unfortunately, the end of the chaos is only the beginning of a whole new journey for the young Canadian forward. While many of his teammates, both on the main roster in Tampa Bay and his teammates on the Syracuse Crunch, have come to his defense when speaking to the media, Jonathan Drouin has a long and winding road to travel before he will earn the respect of those very same teammates.

Syracuse Crunch captain Mike Angelidis had an opportunity to speak with Lindsay Kramer of Syracuse.com regarding Drouin’s return to the team and where things are headed from here. Angelidis definitely had good things to say about his formerly estranged teammate, but he did indicate it was up to Drouin to put in the work.

“It’s obviously a unique situation. It’s one of those things we’ll deal with in a professional manner. I think he’s going to put in an effort.” Angelidis told Kramer. “He obviously wants to show people what he can do on the ice. He wants to prove himself. The only way he can do that is work on the ice. He needs to play, obviously. It’s a smart decision on his part. If he was a bad guy and wasn’t going to come back and work hard, it (his welcome) would be a different situation.”

There is another decision-maker within the Syracuse Crunch organization that seems to support Jonathan Drouin and his return to the Syracuse Crunch. Syracuse Crunch Head Coach Rob Zettler said Drouin is making the right decision by returning to the ice, but he will definitely be watching him over the course of the next couple of days to make sure he’s in “AHL-caliber shape.”

“He’s doing what he should be doing. He’s playing hockey,” Zettler told Kramer. “What I need to see is where he’s at physically and mentally, as far as how much he can help us. I will be watching him very closely over the next two or three days. Let’s see where he’s at condition-wise. The bottom line is, this team needs to win hockey games.”

There is no denying Jonathan Drouin has the potential to be a breakout star in the National Hockey League at some point and time. Drouin will definitely need some work on the ice; especially after being away from competition for as long as Drouin has. The question at hand is whether or not Jonathan Drouin is prepared to put in the work to earn his way back into the NHL, or if he is simply testing the waters until he can be traded.

No matter which path the 20-year-old forward chooses, at this point in the game the puck is squarely in his zone. Judging by what we have seen of him in the past couple of days, he seems to have made a complete 180-degree change from the Jonathan Drouin we saw a couple of months ago. His actions over the course of the next few weeks will be very telling.

Next: Jonathan Drouin Addresses The Media In Syracuse (Video)

What are your thoughts on Jonathan Drouin and his journey back to the National Hockey League? Do you think he is ready to put in the work necessary to make his return to the NHL, or is he simply testing the waters in search of a trade? Let us know what you think in the comments below.