Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman had the same message today that he did earlier this month when Jonathan Drouin’s trade request went public:
The Lightning won’t be strong-armed. They’ll trade the 20-year-old forward when they’re good and ready to trade him. There’s no timeline for the completion of a deal.
Of course, the difference today is that Drouin has been suspended by the Lightning, without pay, after he failed to report for his AHL duties.
And, so, while Yzerman maintained that he won’t be pressured into making a trade that doesn’t benefit the club -- in fact, he’s still open to a reconciliation -- he did concede that a deal to move the talented forward is “actively and aggressively” being pursued.
As for the claim by Drouin’s agent, Allan Walsh, that the Lightning had recently “advised that a trade involving Jonathan was moving closer to completion,” Yzerman denied that ever happened.
Yzerman said he never told Drouin camp any deal was close #TBLightning
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) January 21, 2016
Yzerman also had this piece of advice for any player in Drouin’s situation:
Yzerman: "For a player that wants to be traded the best thing you can do is go out and play well." #TBLightning
— Olivia Stacey (@Olivia_Stacey) January 21, 2016
For Drouin, that’s obviously not possible anymore. All he can do now is wait and hope that Yzerman finds a deal that’s to his liking.