Tampa Lightning GM Steve Yzerman looks like a genius right now for resisting temptation top trade Jonathan Drouin at the February 29 NHL trade deadline.
Drouin's well-documented request for trade last November led to his eventual demotion to AHL Syracuse. While toiling away in the minors, Drouin copped a serious attitude and left his Crunch teammates. Yzerman suspended Drouin for his insubordination and refused to trade his former 3rd overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.
Kenny Rogers was right:
You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em. Know when to walk away and know when to run.
Today, Bolts fans are thanking Yzerman profusely for his obstinance and refusal to cave in to the trade demands set forth by Drouin and his agent.
Yzerman had to trust his gut in dealing with the delicate Drouin matter. Stevie Y. doesn't own a magic wand and crystal ball. How could he have predicted that his captain Steven Stamkos would be forced to undergo emergency vascular surgery to repair his serious blood clot issue in his arm/shoulder region.
Holding on to Drouin rather than trading him now appears to be a stroke of genius on the part of Yzerman.
On Tuesday night, Drouin assisted on all three Tampa's goals in their gritty 3-2 victory over Detroit. The Bolts now hold a commanding 3-1 series lead.
The 21-year-old Halifax Mooseheads alum has been a huge difference maker for his Bolts.
Jon Cooper is using Drouin in all of key sitautions that he used captain Steven Stamkos in. Drouin seemingly has earned the trust, respect and forgiveness of Cooper and he is playing the best hockey of his brief NHL career.
Drouin now has four assists in four playoff games played. Drouin is now averaging 18:22 TOI. He has 7 hits, 13 shots on Detroit goalies, and six takeaways. He's blocking shots, holding on to pucks and is chirping/face washing opponents after whistles.
Drouin is second only to Val Filppula (20:02 to 18:22 TOI) for team lead with
Life without Steven Stamkos won't be as dramatic ad cataclysmic is Yzerman has Drouin to plug and play into 91's minutes and responsibilities.
There is no doubt in my mind that Stamkos will become UFA on July 1. His UFA rights may well be traded on or before the day of the NHL Draft.
Steve. Tim here. Remember what I told you last July? I wasn't bluffing about Stamkos. Let's talk pic.twitter.com/HatXynhh53
Yzerman's decision to hold onto Drouin rather than trade him away may well be a signal that Stamkos will be leaving for greener pastures. Drouin is filling in admirably for Stamkos right now. He fits the mold of Stamkos to a tee. Yzerman did his homework before heknee-jerk traded Drouin away.
Sometimes the best trades are the ones that general managers don't make. Drouin is in that exceptional category.
After Game 4, Drouin told the Bolts' website that there were some very dark and gloomy days for him as he sat at home in Quebec waiting for a trade while he was suspended from his pro hockey career.
Drouin admitted there was a time during his six-week suspension that he didn't know if he would every play hockey again.
"Sitting at home, you don't really know what's going to happen," he said. "Definitely happy to be back."
His head coach Jon Cooper said Tuesday night that he and Yzerman never gave up on Drouin making his return to Tampa. There were some tense moments, however, the Bolts never gave up on the kid.
Cooper said nothing was handed to Drouin. No favors. No bennies. No shortcuts. No "cheat codes".
The kid had to do the work himself and earn a promotion.
Drouin did just that.
"The one thing that gets missed in all of this is we never, ever gave up on Jonathan," Cooper said.
"He took a stand and made a decision, we can debate or not whether he was right or wrong, but (it) turned out he came back and made a choice to succeed, and to battle through. There was no gratuitous callup. He earned his way back. He's helping us win hockey games, which we knew all along he could.
"I'm unbelievably proud of the way he's handled himself with our team, with the staff. He deserves this."
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Nikita Kucherov, 22, played a major role as well for Tampa Bay with two goals in Game 4 in Detroit. Kucherov now has five goals and seven points in four playoff battles versus Detroit.
Six teams continue to hard sell University of North Dakota star Drake Caggiula. The unrestricted free agent is now free to roam about the NHL in search of his NHL team of choice to play for
The NoDak sniper recently earned most outstanding player at the Frozen Four tourney in Tampa.
According to TSN's Frank Seravalli, the reduced Drake list includes:
Buffalo
Philadelphia
Edmonton
Ottawa
Vancouver
Chicago
Caggiula and the Sabres GM Tim Murray is familiar with Caggiula having seen him play up close and personal at Buffalo's 2014 rookie development camp. Murray knew then what other NHL GMs now know and that is that Caggiula is a bona fide NHL prospect. The kid tore up the NCAA and now he will elevate his game to the NHL level.
At the 2014 Buffalo rookie development camp, Caggiula, Mikhail Grigorenko, Mark Pysyk, Justin Kea, and Liam Pecararo hoisted the hallowed French Connection Trophy, which was introduced that year and has been awarded to the annual winner of the tournament. The intense week of practices at development camp culminates Friday in a 3-on-3 tournament. Sabres prospects broke off into seven teams with games played on each half of the rink.
Caggiula turned multiple heads in practices and in the annual Blue & Gold scrimmage. Caggiula likely would slot in next to Wonder Twins Jack Eichel and Samson Reinhart is he were to select Buffalo. Murray has said repeatedly that one of Eichel's linies isn't even on the Sabres' roster yet. Caggiula may be that lucky man.
Caggiula is expected to visit the Oilers sometime next week, where a tour of Edmonton’s new arena will likely be part of the game plan, followed by stops in Vancouver and Ottawa.
Caggiula reportedly at lunch Monday with Flyers GM Ron Hextall and head coach Dave Hakstol, who coached Caggiula at NoDak before jumping to Philly last summer.
Hakstol knows Caggiula, having recruited and coached him. That is an added bonus for the Flyers, however, watching them go down three games to none to Ovi and the Caps in their first round playoff series. That isn't exactly a bonus on recruiting Caggiula to Philly right now. When the Flyers get punted in four straight games by the Caps later this week, you can expect roster changes in Philly for next season. Caggiula would have a lot of pressure on him to become a savior of sorts.
Vancouver has strong ties to Caggiula too. His NoDak bros Brock Boeser and Troy Stecher were drafted by the Canucks. Vancouver took Boeser in the first round of the ’15 draft and Stecher, an undrafted UFA who signwd his NHL entry-level contract last week.
Chicago loves snagging NCAA an KHL free agents. Caggiula played with Nick Schmaltz at NoDak. Schmaltz was drafted with overall in 2014 by the Blackhawks. Archie Panarin won the lottery when he was signed as a UFA by Stan Bowman last summer.
Caggiula isnt your 6'4" 200 pound monster forward. He packs a lot of scoromg punch for a guy who is 5'10" and a buck eighty five.
His senior season at NoDak saw Caggiula score 25 goals, 26 assists and 51 points in 39 games.
In his four year NCAA career, Caggiula, a Pickering native, scored 64 goals and 65 assists.
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Speaking of NCAA free agent superstar forwards in the offing, Jimmy Vesey will be in Tim Murray's cross hairs come August 15.
The Harvard star and 2016 Hobey Baker Award winner is currently training in his native suburban Boston.
Vesey is close friends with Jack Eichel, his prospective Buffalo Sabres linemate.
"Vesey to Eichel to Reinhart for the goal" has a very nice ring to it.
Doesn't it?
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Philadelphia Flyers forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare has been suspended one game for smoking from behind Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov in Game 3, according the NHL Department of Player Safety.
One. Friggon. Game. For sewering an opponent from behind.
Congratulations to Chris Pronger, Stephane Quintal and the NHL DOPS for butchering this suspension.
Were it my discipline sentence to hand out for this egregious, dangerous and disrespectful hit on a defenseless defenseman, I'd tell Bellemare to go home and not come back for twenty games. Yep. 20 games. That would include the fourth and final game of the first round series with the Capitals, plus, the first 19 games of the 2016-17 NHL season. Bellemare should be suspended until U.S. Thanksgiving.
The only thing Orlov did wrong was get up to his skates after getting freight trained by his aggressor. Lay on the ice. bring out the stretcher. Leave the ice on a back board with a cervical collar around the neck. Maybe then the NHL DOPS would stop will nilly handing out their disciplinary sanctions.
Who am I kidding?!
This malaise will not end until former players, aspiring front office suits and hangers on leave the DOPS and are mandatorily replaced by objective, third party judges. Unbiased, honest and accurate discipline. That's my wish. Frankly, I've seen far too many near misses and near catastrophes on NHL ice surfaces. It's time to take a serious bite out of NHL crime, and mean it.
What a concept.
Bellemare was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct for the hit.
Game 4 in Philly should be a regular gong show. Betcha the NHL send all of it's suits to sit in the press box for that game. Want to abolish and squash all beefs so that they don't fester and spill over into future games? Hand out heavy fines and long suspensions. The problems will go away.
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