Jonathan Drouin on Lightning: 'We're going to fix this in the summer'
Jonathan Drouin simply missed hockey, that’s what the 20-year-old said on Tuesday as he returned to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch one day after his suspension was lifted.
"I'm a hockey player. You love hockey," he said via the Syracuse Post-Standard. "You want to be part of a team."
The Tampa Bay Lightning demoted Drouin to the AHL on Jan. 2 and the next day it became public that he had asked for a trade. After reporting to Syracuse, Drouin played until Jan. 20 when he refused to show up and the organization suspended him.
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Now comes the toughest part for Drouin: earning back the trust of his teammates. He said he kept in touch with players from both the Crunch and Lightning during his time away, but as Syracuse captain Mike Angelidis told TSN’s Mark Masters, just because he’s back doesn’t mean it’s all sunshines and rainbows again.
"It's going to be up to me to put in the work. I'm not just going to get called up to get called up," Drouin said. "I have to put in the work here, and that's what I plan to do."
Drouin’s first game back will come Friday at home against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. A good showing over the next month could bolster his chances for a potential NHL recall, or at least help his case to serve as a Black Ace for the Lightning in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Tampa GM Steve Yzerman said on Monday that the possibility is there as long as he feels it’s best for the team.
Yzerman could have dealt Drouin before last week’s trade deadline, but no offers came his way that he felt could help his club now. Depending on how things go between Drouin and the Lightning the rest of the way, a deal could still happen at the draft or in the summer.
While that speculation will continue, Drouin believes the relationship is salvageable.
"I think our relationship's fine," he said. "We’ve talked to make the decision to come back here," he said. "I think we're going to fix this in the summer and see how it goes from there."
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
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