[Dion]

Yzerman: Trading Jonathan Drouin still a priority

Yzerman said he always leaves the door open for reconciliation but a deal is his priority.

"I've told Jonathan and his agent we will trade him if and when we can make a deal that is good for the Tampa Bay Lightning," Yzerman said. "In that sense, nothing has changed.

"We have to run our hockey club and will run our hockey club."

"That's not acceptable to us," Yzerman said. "You go and you play. And teams are scouting, teams are watching. Every game, there's scouts out there, every single game assessing players. So if a player wants to be traded, the best thing you can do is go out and play and play well if you want to help your cause."

Yzerman has said he won't trade Drouin unless he gets "equal value" for the touted young player, who has just six goals in 89 NHL games. At least a dozen teams have expressed interest, including the Blues, Ducks, and Canadiens. Yzerman acknowledged Drouin's latest actions won't help facilitate a deal.

"I'm not sure that I'll be able to get a player of better value," Yzerman said. "It depends on how you measure it. Instead of using that term 'equal value,' maybe the better phrase is getting a deal that makes sense or is good for the Tampa Bay Lightning."

"I think if you ask every single player in that locker room, at some point they've been frustrated by their situation and they persevered through it," Yzerman said. "A lot of young players had to come up and spent time in the minors and been healthy scratches and have been there.

"I think we're doing a reasonable job of developing young players into good players. There's a group of them on our team now, and not all of them played for Jon Cooper in (AHL) Norfolk and Syracuse, either."

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/hocke...iority/2262328