If the Tampa Bay Lightning get bumped from the playoffs after struggling to score against the Detroit Red Wings in Game 6, many might linger on Jonathan Drouin being a healthy scratch once again.
The third pick of the 2013 NHL Draft sits at one game played in this series, and it wasn’t pretty. He was a -2 in Game 4 and received just 8:42 of ice time.
That argues for a lack of trust at this point from head coach Jon Cooper, although perhaps some could point to circumstance a bit.
Still, many wonder if the skilled playmaker might help the Lightning get over the hump. Here are a few arguments in that regard.
J.Drouin 5v5 points per 60 minutes among 2013 draft picks this season.
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) April 27, 2015
Mackinnon - 2.0
Drouin - 2.0
Horvat - 1.8
Barkov - 1.7
Monahan - 1.7
Jonathan Drouin is a healthy scratch in Detroit for the Lightning. For a team that needs scoring and speed...interesting decision.
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) April 27, 2015
Tyler Johnson put the Lightning ahead early with a nice burst of speed, so it might be a moot point. Still, make a note of these doubts if things go sour for the Bolts.
(Whether those criticisms are fair or not, they’re there.)