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

[Vedder]

If I were a Lightning fan I'd be choked about how the asset has been de-valued in the last month. I think Yzerman thought he could sit on the situation and drive up the asking price, and that gamble looks like it's failed. They don't owe anything to the player, but it's hard to say the organization has come out ahead in this situation.

[Cyclops]

I may be wrong but didn't the Lightning send him down at 38 games so they won't burn a year of eligibility? So the writing was on the wall that no matter how good he played in the AHL he probably wasn't going to get called up.

I'm all for the player, the team hasn't done anything for him other than draft him. I actually like the idea of him retiring and heading to the KHL like Kovalchuk, come back as a UFA in 2 years.

[Hackey]

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.

No one is saying Drouin is innocent in this or that Yzerman owes him anything but at the same time I don't see any benefit to the Lightning just letting him rot. Just seems petty. What Drouin has done might be seen as petty as well but what good does it do the Lightning to be petty in return? Its a kids life your messing with and despite his situation being largely his fault I just don't see the Lightning holding on to him past this off season. If someone wants out just cut your losses and part ways.

[heep223]

What do you guys think Drouin is doing right now? Playing as himself on Xbox?

[FlamesPuck12]

Originally Posted by heep223

What do you guys think Drouin is doing right now? Playing as himself on Xbox?

Playing Be A GM mode as Yzerman and trying to trade himself to another team?

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Cyclops

I may be wrong but didn't the Lightning send him down at 38 games so they won't burn a year of eligibility? So the writing was on the wall that no matter how good he played in the AHL he probably wasn't going to get called up.

Doesn't work like that, he burns a year off his contract whether he's in the NHL or AHL.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by Hackey

No one is saying Drouin is innocent in this or that Yzerman owes him anything but at the same time I don't see any benefit to the Lightning just letting him rot. Just seems petty. What Drouin has done might be seen as petty as well but what good does it do the Lightning to be petty in return? Its a kids life your messing with and despite his situation being largely his fault I just don't see the Lightning holding on to him past this off season. If someone wants out just cut your losses and part ways.

I'm not so sure. I think the GM needs to look after the best interest of his club. If he simply gifts a promising asset (Drouin) to another club, he's not working in the best interest of the club.

Why trade him for scraps, if that's all that's being offered? Yzerman should wait until the right deal comes along, and he's got several years to wait. Why rush it? It might be the "right" thing to do to make a trade asap for the kid to revive his career, but Yzerman is in the business of winning, period. Nothing else.

Drouin should fire the agent, and apologize to the boss, then work his keester off in the minors. Who knows, maybe he's good enough for a xallup on the big club.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I'm not so sure. I think the GM needs to look after the best interest of his club. If he simply gifts a promising asset (Drouin) to another club, he's not working in the best interest of the club.

Why trade him for scraps, if that's all that's being offered? Yzerman should wait until the right deal comes along, and he's got several years to wait. Why rush it? It might be the "right" thing to do to make a trade asap for the kid to revive his career, but Yzerman is in the business of winning, period. Nothing else.

Drouin should fire the agent, and apologize to the boss, then work his keester off in the minors. Who knows, maybe he's good enough for a xallup on the big club.

According to sureLoss, Fabri was on the table from St. Louis but has since been withdrawn.

Now, maybe St.Louis took Fabri off the table to put a more valuable asset on the table, buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut I really doubt that is the case.

If I'm right, then holding onto Drouin has cost the Lightning a significant return asset. They may end up getting terrific value for Drouin, but based on what is leaking out of the league (Anaheim withdrawing from talks, St. Louis taking fabri off the table, Ottawa unwilling to move Ceci), it doesn't look like they'll get an offer better than what they were getting in November and I'm willing to bet as each week passes without a deal, those offers will continue to decline in value.

Drouin isn't the only player on the market, and GMs will eventually cut bait and go after a bigger/better fish.

As this drags on, it's only going to work more in Drouin's favour as he will eventually have an opportunity to play hockey on a different team, and the less that team has to give up to get him, the better supporting cast Drouin will have to play with and put up numbers.

He is giving up a lot of money in order to make a heck of a lot more later.

A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush.

[CroFlames]

^^^ Except his bird in hand was his ELC he's currently on. There is no guarantee he'll ever play in the NHL again.

What if he smartens up, and starts playing in the AHL to try and earn a trade, then busts his shoulders or knees?

[nik-]

the report saying he's off the table doesn't necessarily mean he was ever on the table.

[Harry Lime]

It was my understanding that keeping Drouin below 40 games service at the NHL level delayed his UFA eligibility by one year. His ELC keeps on ticking, but Yzerman doesn't look good with his timing, either.

What's interesting is that with Fabbri off the table, the potential offer from St. Louis becomes something akin to the 'second tier' offers that teams like the Flames could potentially put together. Although the return has been lessened, the amount of potential suitors may have actually increased. Minnesota's Brodin for Drouin + might actually be looking like a real possibility.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by 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.

It's not that a holdout hurts his career - as you say, once it's over it's over, and he'll be playing again.

The issue is that his behaviour has demonstrated that he has attitude and entitlement issues - it's his demonstrated behaviour that will hurt his career, not the holdout.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

According to sureLoss, Fabri was on the table from St. Louis but has since been withdrawn.

Now, maybe St.Louis took Fabri off the table to put a more valuable asset on the table, buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut I really doubt that is the case.

If I'm right, then holding onto Drouin has cost the Lightning a significant return asset. They may end up getting terrific value for Drouin, but based on what is leaking out of the league (Anaheim withdrawing from talks, St. Louis taking fabri off the table, Ottawa unwilling to move Ceci), it doesn't look like they'll get an offer better than what they were getting in November and I'm willing to bet as each week passes without a deal, those offers will continue to decline in value.

Drouin isn't the only player on the market, and GMs will eventually cut bait and go after a bigger/better fish.

As this drags on, it's only going to work more in Drouin's favour as he will eventually have an opportunity to play hockey on a different team, and the less that team has to give up to get him, the better supporting cast Drouin will have to play with and put up numbers.

He is giving up a lot of money in order to make a heck of a lot more later.

A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush.

That's just silly.

If we were talking about a difference like: "before, it would have cost a Bennett, and now it will cost a 3rd round pick", then maybe there would be a bit of truth to what you are suggesting.

But the reality is that the difference between what the package will be, vs what it might have been before, is marginal with respect to the long term future of the franchise.

The damage this is doing to Drouin is far greater than the net gain that the acquiring team will experience from the reduced price.

[Cyclops]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Doesn't work like that, he burns a year off his contract whether he's in the NHL or AHL.

If I remember right I thought it was regarding when he is UFA eligible. The team would own his rights for an extra year.

[Flash Walken]

Iginla, Nieuwendyk and Gilmour all sat out either while under contract or while their rights were held by the Flames.

Does anyone who follows the NHL (that isn't a Flames fan) even think about that when the name "Iginla", "Nieuwendyk" or "Gilmour" comes up? No. Why? Because no one cares. They care about what those players did on the ice.

Lindros held out at the draft, and while he's certainly remembered for it (But moreso remembered for the trade return that landed him in Philly), it's not even close to the defining characteristic of his career.

Once Drouin is trade, if he starts putting up points for his new team, is a good teammate on his new team, no one will care about this at all except for those who have attached spite to the conversation.

Meanwhile, a team in contention for the cup, a team in their prime competitive window, is missing out not only on Drouin, but also on the potential return he would get and how that would benefit the aspirations of the Lightning to win now.

If this situation was happening right now with Bennett and the Flames, I would be annoyed. If this had happened with the Flames and Phaneuf in his rookie season I would've been absolutely furious.

[Poe969]

Turris was another example of how he "acted like a child" but now he's seen as a solid player and that's it.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Iginla, Nieuwendyk and Gilmour all sat out either while under contract or while their rights were held by the Flames.

Does anyone who follows the NHL (that isn't a Flames fan) even think about that when the name "Iginla", "Nieuwendyk" or "Gilmour" comes up? No. Why? Because no one cares. They care about what those players did on the ice.

Lindros held out at the draft, and while he's certainly remembered for it (But moreso remembered for the trade return that landed him in Philly), it's not even close to the defining characteristic of his career.

Once Drouin is trade, if he starts putting up points for his new team, is a good teammate on his new team, no one will care about this at all except for those who have attached spite to the conversation.

Meanwhile, a team in contention for the cup, a team in their prime competitive window, is missing out not only on Drouin, but also on the potential return he would get and how that would benefit the aspirations of the Lightning to win now.

If this situation was happening right now with Bennett and the Flames, I would be annoyed. If this had happened with the Flames and Phaneuf in his rookie season I would've been absolutely furious.

I agree that holding out, in and of itself, is not the end of the world. And lots of players have done it.

But not all hold-out situations are the same. Sometimes, it is because the player is a DB.

Lindros is such an example. His presence caused consternation in dressing rooms from the WJs, all the way through his career.

In a team game, you want team players.

Holding out on a contract does not necessarily mean you're not a team player. But I think in this case it does.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Cyclops

If I remember right I thought it was regarding when he is UFA eligible. The team would own his rights for an extra year.

Pretty sure it goes on games played pro but I could be wrong. I thought Drouin himself was the one who hurt the UFA status because he's sitting out pro games.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by 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.

I disagree somewhat. He is absolutely jeopardising his NHL future by dramatically decreasing his own value, and catalysing the impression that he is a project. I think we are at the point now that regardless of what team he next plays for, he will end up starting on an AHL roster, and with major questions about whether he even can make it back to the NHL. If he sits for any amount of time, he will require AHL conditioning just to get back up to game-shape. I believe it is naive to think that he is immune from any long term damage because of this.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Poe969

Turris was another example of how he "acted like a child" but now he's seen as a solid player and that's it.

Turris was never in breach of his contract, though. By mandate of the CBA he was prohibited from attending training camp without a contract. I think that action on Drouin's part has likely coloured his situation very differently in the eyes of NHL personnel, who see a player that has willfully withheld his playing services in violation of his agreement with the club, in an effort to force the hand of the team. That's a whole new level.