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

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

But Tampa will wisely qualify his RFA deal and keep his rights for basically ever.

They could qualify him in that scenario, but he would still be free to sign in any European league after 2016-17.

Presuming, of course, that the NHL doesn't toll his contract.

[CroFlames]

Remember, the kid chose to sit out. If he kept his head down and kept playing one of two things would have happened:

1. He would have played himself back onto the team and into a top 6 role
2. He would have been traded like he wanted.

He did nothing but hurt himself by choosing to sit out. Yzerman owes him nothing now.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Remember, the kid chose to sit out. If he kept his head down and kept playing one of two things would have happened:

1. He would have played himself back onto the team and into a top 6 role
2. He would have been traded like he wanted.

He did nothing but hurt himself by choosing to sit out. Yzerman owes him nothing now.

The Lightning have done just as much to kill Drouin's value.

If they choose to sit him out until summer, they become the worse party.

[CaptainYooh]

I discussed Drouin's situation with two former NHL-ers in separate conversations this past weekend. Just wanted to get players' perspective on the situation. Both think that there is a lot of unknown in this whole thing and both believe that Drouin has initiated the discourse rather than Yzerman. Both were strongly against Drouin's decision to stop playing. As one of the guys said: "GMs are usually teaming up against stubborn young players. Drouin is not a superstar by any stretch. Even if Yzerman could be screwing his expectations by not expediting his trade, other players are not going to take Drouin's side in this. A young player should "pay his dues" and play at the farm until his time is up." I laughed and called this a union attitude. The response was: "This not a union attitude, this is a team attitude. Team's first." The other player thought that Drouin's career could be in serious jeopardy at this point and the risk he's taking is absolutely unwarranted, borderline stupid.

[keratosis]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

The sooner they trade him, the better it is for all parties.

I think that ship has sailed. Both parties don't want to be the first to blink.
It'll be after the season at the soonest.

[Demetric]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

The Lightning have done just as much to kill Drouin's value.

If they choose to sit him out until summer, they become the worse party.

Drouin is the one that chose to sit, TB just said, ok if you are going to do that, we are not going to pay you to sit.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

The Lightning have done just as much to kill Drouin's value.

If they choose to sit him out until summer, they become the worse party.

How on earth is Yzerman "choosing" to sit Drouin out? Drouin is suspended because he decided he was no longer playing.

If he had made the choice to play in line with his contractual obligation, then we have every reason to believe that the Lightning would be happy to continue to honour that. I would warrant that if he decides to participate again in games in the AHL, he will then be reinstated.

The only "choice" Yzerman made in this instance is to stop paying him. Do you think he should continue to pay the player who refuses to play? That's nonsense.

[CaptainCrunch]

Some day Drouin will be mopping a floor at a Macdonalds as a 40 year old asking all the teenage kids where the cool parties were at while mumbling "I coulda been a Contenda"

He needs to apologize, make amends, get his a%% back on the ice and prove that he's worth trading for.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

The only way he can play in the Europe this season or next season is if the Lightning give him permission. Otherwise the IIHF will rule him ineligible to play in any member nation while his NHL contract is valid.

He would have a nuclear option of sorts would he not? Pull a Kovalchuk... file his "retirement" papers then sign in the KHL or somewhere else.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

How on earth is Yzerman "choosing" to sit Drouin out? Drouin is suspended because he decided he was no longer playing.

If he had made the choice to play in line with his contractual obligation, then we have every reason to believe that the Lightning would be happy to continue to honour that. I would warrant that if he decides to participate again in games in the AHL, he will then be reinstated.

The only "choice" Yzerman made in this instance is to stop paying him. Do you think he should continue to pay the player who refuses to play? That's nonsense.

I'm not sure how or why you got that out of my post.

I fully understand that the Lightning owe Drouin nothing. I completely agree that Drouin should not have refused to play.

That doesn't mean the right thing for the Lightning to do (by the player or by the team) is to refuse to trade him as a means to send a message to young players around the league that they need to "pay their dues" before they can act like this in the NHL. This is Drouin's career and livelihood. He's doing what he believes is in his best interests. I think the Lightning have a lot at stake here and they are handling it extremely poorly.

I don't understand the confrontational manner of your post.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

I think the Lightning have a lot at stake here and they are handling it extremely poorly.

By how? Not trading him at the exact second the player demanded? By not gift wrapping top 6 minutes in the NHL?

They'll trade him when they get fair value. Until then he can choose to sit and not make any money.

I fail to see what the Lightning have done wrong here. The kid is under contract.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

By how? Not trading him at the exact second the player demanded? By not gift wrapping top 6 minutes in the NHL?

They'll trade him when they get fair value. Until then he can choose to sit and not make any money.

I fail to see what the Lightning have done wrong here. The kid is under contract.

I don't believe Drouin asked for a trade on a Monday and then refused to play on a Friday.

This is the culmination of a frustrated and unhappy player that is worried about his future, and it likely took a while to reach this breaking point. A lot of that is on Drouin, but I think a significant portion is on the Lightning.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

I'm not sure how or why you got that out of my post.

I fully understand that the Lightning owe Drouin nothing. I completely agree that Drouin should not have refused to play.

That doesn't mean the right thing for the Lightning to do (by the player or by the team) is to refuse to trade him as a means to send a message to young players around the league that they need to "pay their dues" before they can act like this in the NHL. This is Drouin's career and livelihood. He's doing what he believes is in his best interests. I think the Lightning have a lot at stake here and they are handling it extremely poorly.

I don't understand the confrontational manner of your post.

I don't think Yzerman is now looking to spite some young punk kid. He has bigger fish to fry.

Yzerman is the GM and always has the club's best interest at his forefront. I'll repeat an earlier post and say that Yzerman owes Drouin nothing now that he chose to sit out, and why should Yzerman now gift wrap an asset to another GM for a garbage return? If Yzerman can't have the asset, then it would be wise not to just give the asset away. THAT is bad management.

Drouin can salvage this by firstly firing his dumbass agent, apologizing to the boss, and playing his mother loving ass off in the AHL.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

I don't believe Drouin asked for a trade on a Monday and then refused to play on a Friday.

This is the culmination of a frustrated and unhappy player that is worried about his future, and it likely took a while to reach the boiling point. A lot of that is on Drouin, but I think a significant portion is on the Lightning.

Hate to pile on, but none of this is on the Lightning. Sven is a perfect comparable. Are the Flames to blame they didn't gift him top 6 minutes and then ending up with a disgruntled player? To Sven's credit, he continued working hard and was awarded with a trade. That's all Drouin had to do. Work hard, prove you can play, and either you'll be called up to the big team, or be traded.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

They'll trade him when they get fair value.

Which is their right... but the longer he sits the less actual value he has.

Really, in an economic sense, fair value is simply what other people are willing to pay to acquire him. If Yzerman wants "X" but no one is willing to pay that price then "X" is not his fair value.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by keratosis

I think that ship has sailed. Both parties don't want to be the first to blink.
It'll be after the season at the soonest.

No.

From the team's perspective, this is no longer an "us vs. Drouin" situation. This is an "us vs. the other teams" situation. They will trade Drouin when they feel they get the best value. They aren't going to sit and do nothing just to stick it to the kid.

[habernac]

Ex first round pick Terry Ryan was on Sportsnet's Primetime yesterday talking about his decision to sit out of training camp. Said it was the worst decision he ever made. Drouin would be wise to do what his team is asking him to do.

[IamNotKenKing]

Originally Posted by habernac

Ex first round pick Terry Ryan was on Sportsnet's Primetime yesterday talking about his decision to sit out of training camp. Said it was the worst decision he ever made. Drouin would be wise to do what his team is asking him to do.

I heard that too. Was very informative and interesting hindsight.

[PeteMoss]

All of this talk of this hurting his career is nonsense. Once he's traded - if he's good enough he'll be fine. If he's not - he'll be back in the minors or in Europe. No one is going to care about this once he's done.

[Dajazz]

What the... Drouin, yes the kid, Drouin held out, sat out, decided to not play...

How in the world is this on Yzerman or the Lightning? He didn't get spoon fed top 6 minutes?

Uhm, the guy scored as many goals as future Hall of Famers Chris Neil and Dan Carcillo in almost TWICE the games. Fine, yes, lots of assist, but that happens playing alongside guys like Stamkos. Obviously he has more talent than the two thugs, but still...

He has nothing, nothing, to back up his little hissy fit with.