I argue that with how the game has evolved, players that don't play a 200ft game are often liabilities out there even when they can generate offence.
In the 80's it wasn't a thing. Not many teams played strong defensive systems where all players were expected to contribute. The 90's changed that. It has been evolving ever since.
Now you have the top players in the league buying-into strong defensive games. Crosby. Ovechkin (yeah, even Ovechkin!), etc. Some of the more respected and thought of players have an excellent 2-way game - Kopitar, Toews. Even guys that are small and generate a tonne offensively - Kane, Gaudreau - work hard at their defensive games and aren't liabilities out there.
It doesn't matter how great a prospect is offensively. He has to fit into a team structured system or he becomes a liability. If for nothing else, the rest of the team will not buy-in as much if there are a couple of guys that aren't. Once again, see Ovechkin. That team is playing an incredible team-game that bodes very well for playoff success, and here is the most offensively gifted player in the NHL - someone who may actually be generational - blocking shots and skating back harder than he ever has.
With that being said, Drouin didn't look absolutely useless on defence. He skates back hard from what I have seen, though I assume a lot of it has to do with consistency (the toughest part to get young players to start doing). I think it is just a matter of time. As long as you don't start giving out premium ice-time based solely on offensive production, and actually make young players earn it, they will eventually start giving you more consistency in all areas of the ice.
If the Flames picked up Drouin, I wouldn't really be all that concerned about his defensive acumen. Gaudreau, Monahan and Bennett all come back hard and compete in the defensive zone. He would get it. Considering he would be on his 2nd team after forcing a trade, I would think he would be more receptive to another coach on another team in a different situation telling him what he needs to work on. Again, from what I saw of him in the NHL, he wasn't pulling an Eberle/Hall type of shift on defence.
Yzerman is 100% right in supporting his coach here. Tampa will never win a thing with that core unless they are all committed to playing sound defensively in their zone - just like any other team in the NHL. You simply can't win if your entire team doesn't pitch-in consistently on defence.
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