One of the things I like to do here at HockeyBuzz is chime in whenever Eklund posts a Tampa Bay Lightning-related rumor. Today’s is a doozy. The site’s big boss says that the Bolts might have interest in dealing Jonathan Drouin to the Arizona Coyotes for the third overall pick:
On Arizona's #3 pick....Gotta love Maloney! The guy is not just a great GM who has flourished in a far less than ideal scenario, but he also just "gets it." He is not afraid to talk and help his case, all the while adding to the drama. Last night he came out and said he had a few offers for the third pick overall that gave him pause to consider it...
I have spent much of today searching for where those deals could be coming from and I have found four teams...
#1.Tampa
I firmly believe that Tampa will not hesitate to move Jonathan Drouin, and Arizona loves him. If he is included into the deal you really could have something. Drouin is crazy talented and reminds my a lot of Martin St. Louis...but like St. Louis he may need to go somewhere else to thrive. Drouin with Domi is a hell of a start....
Drouin speculation isn’t anything new, either. TSN’s Bob McKenzie spoke before the Montreal series and indicated there might be some potential for a Drouin deal given how the player was handled during the playoffs. That speculation was quieted as the postseason moved along, but it’s not like there hasn’t been talk about this before.
And then there’s this:
One of the offers Coyotes are mulling for the No. 3 pick is for a young player good enough they wouldn't get another 1st back in the deal.
— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) June 24, 2015My gut tells me that Drouin won’t be dealt. It's just hard to believe that things went so sour, so fast. And it’s not like his handling was exceptionally different from the way other young players in Tampa’s system have been handled over the years. I wrote about the striking similarities between his rookie season and Nikita Kucherov’s rookie season right here (link). It makes sense for Tampa to wait and see what Drouin does next season before they ship him away for an unknown, especially when you consider that Steven Stamkos is going to need a playmaking winger in Tampa if he signs a long-term deal.
What are your thoughts on the Drouin/3rd overall pick rumor? Would you take it? Let me know in the comments section and with this poll.
As always, thanks for reading.