It was not long ago that the Tampa Bay Lightning were in a quandary when it came to Jonathan Drouin.
The precise nature of the rift between player and team never fully became public, but in January, the schism between the two parties seemed unbridgeable. Drouin’s initially private trade request had gone public, the Lightning had exiled him to the AHL and then ultimately suspended him once he ceased to be willing to play for the Syracuse Crunch.
Not only did the 21-year-old want out less than three years after being drafted third overall by the Bolts, but it seemed clear that any trade would involve the Lightning taking pennies on the dollar.
Between the obvious pressure the team was under and the stigma of a player holding out, it was difficult to imagine a rival general manager doing Tampa Bay a favour.
Things have since changed.
After nearly two months out of the lineup, Drouin relented and returned to the Crunch. If there was any lingering resentment, it didn’t negatively affect his play. In fact, when Drouin returned in March, he was noticeably better. His AHL stat lines before and a ...
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Article written by Jonathan Willis
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