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Tampa newspaper tears into ‘crybaby, quitter, disaster’ Drouin

Jonathan Drouin

Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Jonathan Drouin (27) celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal against the Florida Panthers in the third period during an NHL preseason hockey game, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

AP

So, we now know what the local media thinks of Jonathan Drouin.

On Friday, Tampa Tribune columnist Martin Fennelly penned a piece titled “How we’ll remember Jonathan Drouin -- Crybaby, quitter, disaster.”

In it, he writes:

Here at the corner of Jungle and Madness, The Drouin Disaster nears conclusion. Any moment now, we expect a trade that will allow the indefinitely suspended Jonathan Drouin, former prized Lightning draft pick, to pack his skates, sticks and teething ring and go elsewhere.

Or maybe it won’t be any moment now. Drouin’s latest hijinks — making himself a healthy scratch for Wednesday’s game for the Syracuse Crunch — should give suitors pause. He’s the kid who quit.

Fennelly goes on to call Drouin “a spoiled brat, a crybaby,” who is “dragging his sippy cup across the crib bars.”

OK then!

There’s also a very subtle line in here that’s worth discussing:

Hey, I’ve got a great idea! If the Lightning want to move Drouin, bring him back up and make him team captain. Those guys are leaving here all the time …

This, of course, is in reference to Vincent Lecavalier, the ex-captain that was bought out of his monster contract in 2013. It is also, of course, in reference to Martin St. Louis -- the ex-captain who demanded a trade in 2014 -- and it’s also, of course, in reference to Steve Stamkos, the current captain and pending UFA that could be headed to free agency on July 1.

So what gives, Tampa Bay?

Recently, the Trib’s Erik Erlendsson appeared on TSN 1040 and discussed the larger-scale issue at play.

“If [Stamkos] goes, I think people are going to start to question why they let him go,” Erlendsson explained. “Is it simply just a business discussion? Because there’s so many factors that come into this. Steven Stamkos means just so much to them, and it’s not just the play on the ice.

“If we get to that far, yeah, there’s going to be some explanation that’s going to have to go on, and we’ll see how they have to sell it, if it comes to that.”

Related: Yzerman: Lightning are ‘actively and aggressively’ trying to trade Drouin