[News] Upd: Drouin decides to sit out until trade is completed. Lightning suspend him

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

Good for Drouin. I'd take that dude in a heartbeat and we should move anyone not named Bennett, Monahan, Gaudreau, Gio and Brodie to do it.

You'd move Hamilton for this spoiled, entitled brat? Glad you aren't running the team!

[Resolute 14]

Valid points, CliffFletcher. But if Steve Yzerman expects all but the tiniest fraction of NHL players to be like he was, then he will not be a GM for long. He can't ask players to adapt to him without being willing to adapt to the nature of his players.

Is unwavering loyalty to Jon Cooper at the expense of major assets really the hill he wants to die on?

Alternatively, he can just let the players that don't fit his philosophy go. Though I would be very interested to see how he expects to replace contributions of Stamkos and potential of Drouin.

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by Lanny'sDaMan

Joe Smith ‏@TBTimes_JSmith 2m2 minutes ago
When asked if it's the agent or Drouin driving this, Yzerman said Walsh has always told him he's representing Drouin + following his wishes

Why say this? Is SY stupid?

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

... By the way, does this not have "Tyler Seguin lite" written all over it? That whole episode may make Tampa considerably more gun-shy to just get the kid out the door.

[heep223]

I thought the Seguin trade was team-driven because of his off-ice "issues" (whatever that meant). This is being driven by the player?

[Bandwagon In Flames]

Originally Posted by TheAlpineOracle

Drouin is a whiny spoiled brat. He pulled the same garbage at the start of his QMJHL career.

That's beside the point though. If you're trying to sell a car you don't tell the buyer that you're selling it because it's a piece of crap that will break down any day.

As a GM, honesty is not the best policy.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Poe969

Then Stevey Y should be coaching. It's not the GM's job to be a hard ass on his players, the longer this goes on, the worst it looks on Tampa IMO.

You missed the part where Jim Devellano put Yzerman - the superstar of his franchise - on the trade block when he rankled at the coach's style. Lots of teams put in offers - IIRC the Flame's offered Roberts and Suter.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

^The big rumour was Alexei Yashin. Can you imagine if that had happened? What would we think of the Red Wings as a franchise?

Originally Posted by heep223

I thought the Seguin trade was team-driven because of his off-ice "issues" (whatever that meant). This is being driven by the player?

There are certainly some differences; I think Chiarelli would argue that they gave him multiple chances to get his act together and he showed no intention of doing so, such that he forced their hand.

But my point is more that it's a high pressure situation to get someone traded, the issues with the player are public and may be distracting to the team, he's a former top-ranked pick who clearly oozes talent but has been a disappointment during his limited time in the NHL, and the team he's on should, in theory, be a Cup contender and so could use the "make us better right now" sort of pieces he might return in trade.

And the risk is there that more or less exactly the same thing happens once he's dealt. I don't think there's much chance of Drouin turning into Tyler Seguin, but Drouin turning into a player a rung below that, a point per game guy, isn't unthinkable, in my opinion.

Hence my supposition that what happened in the Seguin case might make someone in Yzerman's position wary.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

"When they went public with the trade demand, I decided to punish them for making it public by delaying a trade."

Don't think that is at all what that quote insinuates.

It meant that they weren't going to recall Drouin to the NHL roster if they knew he wanted out.

Also helps that the team was playing it's best hockey of the season and were on a winning streak.

Drouin broke his promise when he took trade demands public, so Yzerman no longer felt the obligation to recall him up to the NHL roster after he played a handful of games in the AHL.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by Bandwagon In Flames

That's beside the point though. If you're trying to sell a car you don't tell the buyer that you're selling it because it's a piece of crap that will break down any day.

As a GM, honesty is not the best policy.

I'm pretty sure other GM's are well aware of his less than stellar attitude over the history of his very short career. He refused to report to the Halifax Mooseheads (one of the most respect franchises in the CHL) in his 16 year old season and went back to Midget to dominate a league he was already dominating as a 15 year old. He only reported as a 17 year old after it was made very clear by Halifax he was not going to get his way and he'd play for them or no one in the QMJHL at all. The rumors at the time were he was not pleased when Halifax acquired MacKinnon as all the spotlight would be completely on him as he was a hockey prodigy and the local hero.

There's rumors he had spat with hockey Canada, and he was not a happy camper and sulked the entire year when the Lighting sent him back to juniors after he was drafted.

This guy is poison in my mind. I don't want him anywhere near the Flames prospects unless they get him ridiculously cheap and are willing to throw him out the door the minute he crosses the line or displays his piss-poor attitude.

[Poe969]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

You missed the part where Jim Devellano put Yzerman - the superstar of his franchise - on the trade block when he rankled at the coach's style. Lots of teams put in offers - IIRC the Flame's offered Roberts and Suter.

I didn't miss that part at all. So he didn't like the coach's style and the team put him on the block...It's a completely different situation this time. The team didn't hang Yzerman out to dry as a player and make him out to be a brat. As Resolute pointed out, you can't treat every player the same and expect everyone to be like him.

If things weren't working out and the team put him on the block, it'd be different, by treating the kid the way they are they're looking like the bad guys IMO.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

I think the Turris situation is even more similar. He was a high draft pick and hadn't shown much in his career to that point (although did have a good playoff). Turris was thought of as an entitled brat when he demanded a trade, and if I recall correctly, walked out on the team. Plenty of questions of what the return should be for a guy like that. In retrospect, Ottawa didn't give up much, and I would say he has been a pretty good pro.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by TheAlpineOracle

I'm pretty sure other GM's are well aware of his less than stellar attitude over the history of short career. He refused to report to the Halifax Mooseheads (one of the most respect franchises in the CHL) in his 16 year old season and went back to Midget to dominate a league he was already dominating as a 15 year old. He only reported as a 17 year old after it was made very clear by Halifax he was going to get his way and he'd play for them or no one in the QMJHL at all. There's rumors he had spat with hockey Canada, and he was not a happy camper and sulked the entire year when the Lighting sent him back to juniors after he was drafted.

This guy is poison in my mind. I don't want him anywhere near the Flames prospects unless they get him ridiculously cheap and are willing to throw him out the door the minute he crosses the line or displays his piss-poor attitude.

Can't speak to the accuracy of any of this, but I definitely trust our management team in placing the utmost importance on attitude, work ethic and character when evaluating players.

[Bandwagon In Flames]

Originally Posted by TheAlpineOracle

I'm pretty sure other GM's are well aware of his less than stellar attitude over the history of short career. He refused to report to the Halifax Mooseheads (one of the most respect franchises in the CHL) in his 16 year old season and went back to Midget to dominate a league he was already dominating as a 15 year old. He only reported as a 17 year old after it was made very clear by Halifax he was going to get his way and he'd play for them or no one in the QMJHL at all. There's rumors he had spat with hockey Canada, and he was not a happy camper and sulked the entire year when the Lighting sent him back to juniors after he was drafted.

This guy is poison in my mind. I don't want him anywhere near the Flames prospects unless they get him ridiculously cheap and are willing to throw him out the door the minute he crosses the line or displays his piss-poor attitude.

Where did I say that I want him on the Flames? I'm just saying Yzerman handled this terribly.

If there is already a history of idiocy and immaturity surrounding Drouin's young career, you don't want to add fuel to the fire. The more Yzerman slanders Drouin, the less value he has. It's quite simple.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

... By the way, does this not have "Tyler Seguin lite" written all over it? That whole episode may make Tampa considerably more gun-shy to just get the kid out the door.

More of a Kyle Turris situation then a Seguin situation IMO.

By the time Seguin was traded he had over 100 career points, a 67 point season to his name, and a Stanley Cup.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug

I think the Turris situation is even more similar. He was a high draft pick and hadn't shown much in his career to that point (although did have a good playoff). Turris was thought of as an entitled brat when he demanded a trade, and if I recall correctly, walked out on the team. Plenty of questions of what the return should be for a guy like that. In retrospect, Ottawa didn't give up much, and I would say he has been a pretty good pro.

I don't think Turris is a comparable. Drouin was the top player in the CHL for 1 year (it could be argued 2). He had jaw-dropping skill, but a questionable attitude. He expected everything to be handed to (and has since junior), and when we didn't light it up immediately upon stepping on the NHL ice, it became Tampa's problem and not his. I'd say Alexander Daigle is a pretty close comparable. Turris was drafted as a project.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by TheAlpineOracle

I'm pretty sure other GM's are well aware of his less than stellar attitude over the history of his very short career. He refused to report to the Halifax Mooseheads (one of the most respect franchises in the CHL) in his 16 year old season and went back to Midget to dominate a league he was already dominating as a 15 year old. He only reported as a 17 year old after it was made very clear by Halifax he was not going to get his way and he'd play for them or no one in the QMJHL at all.

Drouin was drafted in 2011 by Halifax and was on the team by December as a 16 year old. It took him a couple months to decide to move out of province, a 12 hour drive away from home, as a 16 year old. Not a big deal at all.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

More of a Kyle Turris situation then a Seguin situation IMO.

By the time Seguin was traded he had over 100 career points, a 67 point season to his name, and a Stanley Cup.

The 67 point season is a definite point of difference. The cup run, though, he barely played, and the subsequent playoffs he was considered a huge disappointment and relegated to limited minutes on the third line. That perception was, if you ask a stats guy, totally unwarranted - he just had a run of terrible puck luck (was generating shots for himself and his less-than-elite linemates at a high rate but nothing was going in).

There are fewer indications that Drouin is secretly a hockey god, hence my skepticism that he turns into Seguin. But there are still plenty of indicators suggesting that he can become a top line player in the NHL.

Turris is a pretty strong comparable though, I agree. And it's not a dissimilar situation. Ottawa clearly got the better of that deal by a mile. EDIT: AlpineOracle, what kind of revisionist history are you reading that has Turris as a project? He was a 3rd overall pick... Ironically, I recall the player comparables during the hype for that draft being, "this guy is the next Steve Yzerman".

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by TheAlpineOracle

Turris was drafted as a project.

?

No he wasn't. He was in conversation for first overall that year throughout the draft.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by Bandwagon In Flames

Where did I say that I want him on the Flames? I'm just saying Yzerman handled this terribly.

If there is already a history of idiocy and immaturity surrounding Drouin's young career, you don't want to add fuel to the fire. The more Yzerman slanders Drouin, the less value he has. It's quite simple.

I'm not saying you did. I'm saying I don't want him anywhere near the Flames unless we are giving something pretty meaningless up (Russell/Poirier type combo).

I don't think Yzerman added any fuel to the fire. I think it's pretty well known by NHL GM's already which is why Yzerman was having trouble moving him for a reasonably comparable return. Drouin going public and quitting on his AHL team is what has really messed this up for TB. If I were them, i'd be using Drouin to set an example going forward and he'd be suspended for the entire year. I don't think they are going to get any value for him anyways now.