Steve Yzerman won't be bullied by Jonathan Drouin. That much seems pretty clear at this point. Yzerman said he was willing to "acknowledge" Drouin's trade request, but that he'd continue to do whatever was in the best interest of the Lightning. And really, there's not much else he needs to or should do. Drouin's the one missing out on meaningful playing time and earning potential in his professional career. Yzerman's got a deep, talented team helmed by one of the league's better head coaches. They're not a perfect group, but Drouin's presence or absence doesn't move the meter for the franchise all that much at this point. Sorry, Jon.
But Drouin's exit from Tampa Bay could potentially be expedited by one thing - Yzerman's desire to acquire a "top-end, right handed defenseman." Here's what ESPN's Pierre LeBrun had to say on Tuesday, via Chris Nichols...
LeBrun: #TBLighting looking for "top-end, right-handed defenseman." Whether that has to be in a Jonathan Drouin trade remains to be seen.
— Chris Nichols (@NicholsOnHockey) January 5, 2016
As Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman noted Tuesday, when Yzerman made the Drouin selection in 2013, he admitted that the thought of pairing the left-shooting Drouin with the right-handed Steven Stamkos factored into his decision to take the talented forward. Fast-forward a couple of years, and both players could very well wind up playing in new hockey homes sometime soon.
And throughout the issues with Drouin and reported issues with Stamkos, the Lightning continue to perform well for head coach Jon Cooper. The biggest problem facing the team at this point, as LeBrun notes, is a lack of top-end defenseman beyond Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman.
Braydon Coburn is talented and can skate. Same with fellow former Flyer, Matt Carle. But neither guy is a difference-maker.
The question is - can Yzerman turn Drouin into that player? It's a tough trade to make considering Drouin's lack of playing time and lack of production, not to mention the dearth of talented defenseman available across the NHL.
In the end, Drouin isn't certain to be dealt, but the Lightning sure could use some help on the backend. Will it amount to anything? In today's stagnant NHL marketplace, it's hard to envision.
