NHL rumors 2016: after demotion and suspension, Jonathan Drouin gets another crack
The Tampa Bay Lightning has come to a point that they no longer have any other choice to move on than go to a direction they otherwise would have avoided. Due to a series of injuries to its main contributors, the team decided to recall the controversial Jonathan Drouin. The announcement was made on Thursday, with many thinking if the 21-year old even deserves this chance.
This late-season recall means that the once highly-touted player will eventually get another opportunity, perhaps the last one, to prove that he can be a difference maker for the team that selected him third overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Lightning fans still remember how Drouin, through his agent, demanded for a trade back in November of last year, saying that he wasn't happy with the way head coach Jon Cooper was using him. Apparently, he was frustrated for the lack of playing time and didn't really want to dwell on the bench. The team responded by assigning him to Syracuse in the AHL. At that point, the relationship got testy when the young left winger decided not to show up for a game, so the team was forced to suspend him.
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Drouin expected to be traded before the Feb.29 deadline, but nothing came out, prompting him to call general manager Steve Yzerman to ask that he be reassigned to Syracuse for the remaining games of the season. That move saved his career, allowing him to be called up for NHL exposure.
Good thing for him, Tampa Bay is now in desperate need of support after losing regulars Steven Stamkos, Anton Stralman, Victor Hedman, and Ryan Callahan to injuries. The team is already qualified for the playoffs, but they lost four of their last six games, per Sports Illustrated. They can't afford to lose more if they hope to get home-ice advantage in the first round.
