So Jonathan Drouin wants out of Tampa Bay.
Only a handful of NHL teams can afford to trade for Jonathan Drouin
This has happened before.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
I suppose this shouldn’t come as a surprise. At least his disgruntlement shouldn’t. Now that he’s reporting to the American Hockey League, Drouin is the only top-10 pick from 2013 not in the NHL.
My original thought was the Lightning wouldn't trade Drouin in a post-Tyler Seguin world. The Bruins bailed on a relationship with a talented-but-unproven young player, and look how that turned out for them. But then Drouin got sent down, his agent made his trade request public and the entire game changed.
If they weren't before, the waters seemed poisoned now. The Drouin situation is now full of shades of Nino Niederreiter with the Islanders and Kyle Turris with the Coyotes. The fact that GM Steve Yzerman signed coach Jon Cooper to a contract extension probably makes a Drouin trade inevitable.
So let's figure out where Drouin goes next, while working with the Niederreiter and Turris trades as precedents. The Islanders traded Nino to Minnesota for Cal Clutterbuck and a third-round pick in 2013. Turris was sent to Ottawa for David Rundblad and a second-round pick in 2011.
A roster player and a draft pick from the first three rounds. That’ll narrow the field a bit. Let’s speculate.
The LOL-ibles
Vancouver Canucks
Interesting dilemma here for GM Jim Benning. The very reason they need Drouin is their lack of prospect depth, which would prevent them from trading for Drouin in the first place.
Bo Horvat, Jared McCann and Jake Virtanen are all NHL roster players. They're also the best prospects Vancouver has, so they're untouchable. So would Yzerman be interested in someone like Jannik Hansen, or ... okay, that might be it. Nope. Vancouver has to rebuild the hard way. NEXT.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Division rival. Next.
The Plausibles
Arizona Coyotes
Just the thought of Max Domi, Jonathan Drouin and Anthony Duclair on a line together might be enough for Don Maloney to make a deal today. There are a few roster players the Coyotes could pick from here. If contract talks go south with Mikkel Boedker, he could be a valuable asset to dangle in front of Yzerman. But then, it's doubtful Drouin gets traded for an unrestricted free agent who could leave this summer.
So I'd wager Tobias Rieder is the most likely trade option for the Coyotes in this deal. He's young, has a real nose for the net and would fit in nicely with the Lightning. Arizona's organizational depth is so vast they could throw in a prospect like Christian Dvorak or Ryan MacInnis just for fun and yuks.
New Jersey Devils
Another case of need without means. Travis Zajac's $5.75 million cap hit seems too expensive, so let's turn our attention to their defensive prospects. They seem to be sticking with Adam Larsson after a few hiccups, so players like Seth Helgeson or Damon Severson might package well with a draft pick or two. Neither name is as high-profile as Drouin, so Tampa fans might groan about it. But then, neither were Rundblad or Clutterbuck.
Philadelphia Flyers
A few roster players here that could entice the Lightning. As a solid yet expendable talent, Brayden Schenn falls perfectly into the precedent that Cal Clutterbuck and David Rundblad set. Throw in a defensive prospect like Robert Hagg or Sam Morin and a pick and you've got yourself a decent offer, but maybe not one good enough to poach Drouin. And if it takes Ivan Provorov or Wayne Simmonds, good luck getting Ron Hextall to stay on the line.
The Probables
Columbus Blue Jackets
Ah, yes. The Stamkos Replacement Theory.
Stamkos hasn't signed a new contract yet. Ryan Johansen keeps getting benched and on the wrong side of coach John Tortorella in Columbus. And now Jonathan Drouin wants a trade!
Logic then dictates that Yzerman would trade Drouin for Johansen and a pick before shipping Stamkos somewhere else before the deadline. That scenario makes sense, I guess, though it’s all based on behind-the-scenes speculation.
Even if Johansen isn’t the trade piece, Columbus is up against the cap and could afford to shed some young, affordable players in a trade for Drouin. But in my mind the only reason Columbus acquires Drouin is if the aforementioned Johansen situation plays out. As long as Stamkos remains unsigned that theory holds some water.
Nashville Predators
As ever, the Predators are contenders in desperate need of offensive skill. Nashville makes the most sense in the Drouin sweepstakes because the need and means are both there. If David Poile is convinced enough to trade away a defenseman, someone like Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm or Barret Jackman could head south for Drouin. And Nashville has the cap space to take on an extra player the Lightning would need to send back to satisfy the cap. Of all 29 teams gunning for Drouin, my money's on Nashville winning the race if Yzerman decides to capitulate.
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