Drouin, the No. 3 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, has been suspended by the Lightning since Jan. 20. He failed to report to a game with Syracuse, their American Hockey League affiliate, that day. Drouin was sent to the AHL on Jan. 2.
According to reports, there was interest through Monday in Drouin, who was slowed by injury this season and had two goals and eight points in 19 NHL games this season, his second in the League. He had four goals and 32 points in 70 games as a rookie.
Yzerman said he wanted something that would help the Lightning as much in the future as in the present and he was not interested in players approaching unrestricted free agency, particularly those he had no interest in signing.
"Any opportunities that I was talking about here in the last couple of months really have been for future things, things that wouldn't help us between now and the end of the [Stanley Cup Playoffs]," Yzerman said. "At this time, my feeling was if it's not going to help me now, it's not something that I absolutely can't say 'No' to, I'm better off keeping my options open for this summer because we have some uncertainty on our own roster and we have uncertainty with the salary cap this summer.
"If it wasn't an opportunity that involved draft picks or prospects, again I have to say, 'Hey I can't pass this up.' … My decision was to keep my options open and see where we are in the offseason."