Tampa Bay Lightning F Jonathan Drouin Is Proving His Worth Since Recall
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin has been working hard to restore his image and worth since being recalled to the Lightning’s main roster.
Anyone who has been keeping up with the Tampa Bay Lightning this season is all-too-aware of the excruciating amount of drama that has been sweeping the Bolts Nation this season. The team, and its fans, have endured everything from injuries to trade requests, contract re-signings (or lack thereof,) and just about anything you can think of.
Embroiled in one of the most talked about storylines this season has been rookie Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin. After being assigned to the Syracuse Crunch for a conditioning stint back on January 2nd, the young Canadian forward has taken us all on an adventure through the mind of someone who either makes really bad choices or quite possibly needs a new agent.
Just in case some of you out there are new to the situation, allow us to make an incredibly long story short and sweet for you. After being reassigned to the Crunch for his conditioning stint, Jonathan Drouin released a statement via his agent Allan Walsh stating he had requested a trade from the team back in November, a request that obviously had yet to be granted.
Despite the massive elephant in the room, Drouin reported as expected; however, when he spoke to the media he had absolutely no intention of speaking about the one topic everyone wanted to know about…his trade request. This only added fuel to the already blazing fire.
In his first game with the Crunch, Drouin scored two goals. A few games later an assist joined the party. Unfortunately, this is the point where his production came to a halt. As you can imagine, this is not the kind of play one would expect from someone who is so hungry to make it back to the main roster.
As the NHL Trade Deadline grew closer and it seemed there was no trade option in sight for him, Jonathan Drouin decided he had enough and was no longer going to report to the Crunch. In other words, he decided to take his skates and go home. Later, his agent released a statement saying his reason for not reporting is that it was no longer worth the risk of injury since a trade was drawing near.
It was later revealed by Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman there was no such trade in the works and he had absolutely no idea what Walsh was talking about. Once again, this added more fuel to the fire. Unfortunately, Steve Yzerman had no option other than to suspend Drouin indefinitely without pay. Yzerman’s move kicked tensions to a whole new level in the Bolts Nation.
Anywhere you went on social media, fans were referring to Drouin as “childish,” “inexperienced,” “entitled,” a “spoiled brat,” and many more things that aren’t fit to publish to a respectable site. Needless to say, a majority of the excitement the Bolts Nation felt when Drouin was originally drafted had faded into nothingness and the image of a spoiled child had taken its place.
A couple of months would pass before we would see Drouin’s name in the news once again. Thankfully, his next appearance in a headline was that Yzerman had lifted his suspension and Jonathan Drouin would be reporting to the Syracuse Crunch once again…this time, to really play hockey.
Since making his return to the Crunch, Drouin really decided to put on a show. In the 17 games he played with the Crunch this season, Drouin has scored 11 goals and two assists for a total of 13 points. Steve Yzerman has always said that when Drouin was ready to put in the work and prove he was ready to make a return to the main roster, he would get his chance, but not a moment sooner.
Well…it seems as if sooner came much quicker than any of us would have imagined. As the regular season neared its end, the Tampa Bay Lightning would be hit with a plethora of injuries to key players which would leave the playoff-bound Lightning desperate for some quality players.
Said players would need to fill the shoes of players like captain Steven Stamkos (Blood Clot), alternate captain Ryan Callahan (Lower Body Injury), and defensemen Victor Hedman (Upper Body Injury) and Anton Stralman (Fractured Fibula.) Needless to say, not just anyone can slip into the spot of some of the most integral players in the Lightning’s lineup; however, there is one call up in particular that has pleasantly surprised us.
Since making his way back to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s main roster, Jonathan Drouin has been putting on a show unlike any we’ve ever seen from him since becoming a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning organization. Now, some of the fans who had lost a huge amount of respect for him based on his actions are starting to give him a second look.
Could he really be ready to put in the work and make his way to a well-rounded and dangerous player?
Since being recalled on April 7th, Jonathan Drouin has scored a goal in each of the two remaining regular season games he’s played in. Now, the team has made their way into the postseason and Drouin is still finding ways to impress those around him.
While Drouin has yet to make his way to the scoreboard in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he has been coming up big in other ways. Jonathan Drouin has been very aggressive with the puck, he has been making quality hits on his opponents, and he has been determined when it comes to making a play in front of the net and viciously digging for rebounds.
This…right here…is the Jonathan Drouin we expected to see when we drafted him in the First Round (3rd Overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
There are still plenty of people who have their reservations about him, don’t worry…we’re included in that bunch, however, if Drouin continues to put in the work and makes himself a valuable asset to the team, it may be time for some of us to forgive some of his prior mistakes and work towards building him into one of the Lightning’s future stars.
At this point and time, we here at Bolts By The Bay plan to reserve our final judgment until the postseason comes to an end and the Free Agency period kicks in. The moves made by Steve Yzerman and Jonathan Drouin will be very telling of the progress they’ve made since his return. Only then can we tell for certain where Drouin’s intentions really lie.
Jonathan Drouin is going to be on a slippery slope for quite a while. People may choose to forgive him for his actions made earlier in the season, but you can bet your bottom dollar those actions will not soon be forgotten. Should everything turn south once again, these feeling will come boiling back to the surface and we’ll have to start this rollercoaster ride all over again.
As for now, we would be lying to you if we told you we weren’t impressed with Jonathan Drouin’s play since making his return to the ice. All we ever hoped for him was that he would put in the work necessary to make it back to the main roster so the Lightning could get back to business. Since making his return, Jonathan Drouin has done just that. In fact, you could even go as far as to say he has been a difference maker so far.
Next: Jonathan Drouin Will Have to Earn Locker Room Respect
There is no telling for sure what the future holds, but if Jonathan Drouin continues to play the way he has been since his return, we have a good feeling the sky will be the limit for this rookie sensation and the next time you see his name in a headline it will be for all the right reasons.