Jonathan Drouin’s desire to be traded has been well-documented.
His lack of playing time in Tampa, and his assignment to the AHL have fueled these trade demands.
Is something coming? Is Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman close to pulling the trigger? We can’t know for sure, but Drouin did have some interesting post-game quotes after Syracuse’s loss to Utica on Friday.
“I don’t really decide. It’s up to them (Tampa Bay),’' Drouin said, per Syracuse.com. “But we’ll see what happens the next couple days.’'
When he was asked to clarify, Drouin said this: “Oh, I don’t know. I’m just saying we’ll see what’s going on, and...if I go up or get traded. So, I’ll see how it goes.’'
The 20-year-old scored two goals in the first game of his AHL stint, but he’s been held pointless in the last four.
“Right now, I’m not concentrating on stats,” added Drouin. “It doesn’t really matter if I score two or get zero. I’m working on my game, make sure I’m playing the right way and it’s all I can control right now.’'
His lack of offensive production clearly hasn’t diminished his value:
Teams listed in on press box sheet for Drouin watch: Mowers, Mtl, Dudley, Mtl, Fitzpatrick, Phil, Rowe, SJ, Paterson, Ana, Patrick, Wash.
— Syracuse Hockey (@syrhockey) January 15, 2016
Interesting to see that Tampa’s division rival, Montreal, had their assistant GM and a scout in the building.