Should The Washington Capitals Trade For Lightning F Jonathan Drouin?
The former #3 overall draft pick has requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Should the Washington Capitals try to trade for him?
Several weeks ago, Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Jonathan Drouin’s agent, Allan Walsh, revealed that he had requested a trade for his client after his relatively short time with the team that drafted him has gone relatively poorly. Today, Walsh reaffirmed that request, and made it public that Drouin would not be involved with the Tampa Bay Lightning organization in any capacity moving forward. In response, the Tampa Bay Lightning suspended the young forward indefinitely.
Statement from Drouin's agent Allan Walsh: pic.twitter.com/oWZKopXmwj
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 21, 2016
Drouin has 40 points over 89 games with the Lightning, though he has constantly been used in a bottom-six role with lower ice time than he wants or worse, been demoted to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Drouin clearly has a lot of talent, and feels he is being held back in a big way by the Lightning.
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It is not everyday that a player with Drouin’s upside and ability becomes available, and if any single general manager did not at the very least inquire on what the asking price would be for him, they wouldn’t be doing their job. Even a team such as the Washington Capitals, who sit first overall in the league, would be insane not to pick up the phone, especially when Drouin’s trade value has likely been affected by this very public situation.
So should the Capitals trade for Drouin? There are several obvious reasons that they could be interested.
As mentioned above, his skill and talent are undeniable. He is only 20-years-old, just a couple of years removed from being the third overall selection in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He was viewed as a game-breaking forward prospect who posted a career high of 108 points in just 46 games with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL during the 2013-14 season. Even in the NHL, where many would tell you he has underachieved, he has posted some promising underlying numbers. Despite his poor deployments, he has posted very impressive numbers at even strength, such as his total Points/60.
Another interesting thing to note is that he is shooting at 6.3% in the NHL. For someone that has proven his ability to score goals at a high rate, that is an absurdly low shooting percentage that is destined to go up. 40 points in 89 games is nothing to laugh at, especially for a kid who was 19 or 20 years old playing with bad linemates. Still on his entry level deal, Drouin would not impact the salary cap too much until he is due for a new deal after next season. Just take a minute to think about a line of Drouin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Justin Williams.
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However, there are reasons that the Washington Capitals will likely not make this kind of move.
The asking price for Drouin will likely be extremely high. Tampa GM Steve Yzerman really has no reason to sell him for anything less than he is worth, because he isn’t even playing for the NHL club at this time. Also, everybody knows his potential and his ability, so teams will be looking to pull off a heist. Yzerman likely will not let that happen. He knows that eventually, a team will probably get desperate and offer up a very enticing package.
The Washington Capitals are not a desperate team. With as close to a 100% chance at the playoffs as you can get in the middle of January, there are very few, if any, holes on this team. They already have several very talented young players making an impact, including Andre Burakovsky and the aforementioned Kuznetsov. The chemistry within this team seems to be great, and there is really no reason to trade somebody who is established on this team for Drouin unless it is an absolute steal.
This all depends on the asking price. Because it is likely to be high, the Lightning could very well ask for someone like Burakovsky and maybe more in return. This should be a non-starter for the Capitals. The young Swede has picked up his game in a big way lately, and is fitting in nicely on a line with Kuznetsov and Williams. If the asking price involved a higher end prospect not yet on the big club, it could be a different story. Drouin could be a force sooner rather than later, and a trade like this could pay off in spades this season and well into the future for the Washington Capitals.
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Puck Prose
In my opinion, the asking price will likely be way too high. And, it doesn’t seem wise to mess with the chemistry of the team, where each and every player plays an important role. Drouin’s talent is undeniable, but would it truly be worth risking on a year that the team is all in?
If Brian MacLellan was able to make a deal like this fit within the salary cap, where Washington doesn’t have to give up any of their current young impact players, it could be a fit. There are a lot of questions that would have to be answered first. Would it take a current roster player and a top prospect? Would MacLellan be able to make it work salary wise? Would it be better to just leave something that is working so well alone? Let us know what you think!