Friday Four: Lightning, Drouin locked into positions
© Scott Audette
Jonathan Drouin
The Jonathan Drouin saga seems to take a new turn every day. The latest news came Wednesday when he was suspended without pay by the Tampa Bay Lightning for failing to show up for a game with their Syracuse farm team in the American Hockey League. I've been in touch with people on both sides. Obviously each side has a difference in opinion and differences in philosophies, not only based on Drouin being a part of that team but the way in which he was used and their understanding of what would happen when he went down to the AHL.
In addition to that, each side is locked in on its position right now. Ultimately I know one thing; I think Drouin has the skills and talent to be a gifted offensive player in the League. We know he is convinced of that, which is why he took this stance. On the flip side we know that Tampa Bay is a high-quality organization that has done a great job of rebuilding. The Lightning have a really good staff, a really good front office and more importantly, they are coming off a season in which they went to the Stanley Cup Final.
We do know that Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said he would leave the door open to the possibility of anything, be that a return or a reconciliation, or a potential trade, whatever it may be. The circumstances around Drouin right now help to dictate the market value of the asset the Lightning could get in return.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens are in a steep nosedive. You look at the amazing start they got off to (9-0-0); it was historic. They are certainly a much better team than they are playing right now. I am a believer that you don't forget how to play overnight. Montreal has a lot of good habits in its game, which is what led to the Canadiens having the success that they had during their franchise-best start. But in saying that, there are a couple of realities. One is Carey Price's injury, and we learned Thursday that he could miss another month with the lower-body injury that has kept him out since Thanksgiving.
I think general manager Marc Bergevin has done a nice job building this team, and while he has helped solidify the back end most notably, I still believe that their strongest position in need right now is a game-breaker up front. They have a game-breaker in net who's not playing (Price), one on defense (P.K. Subban) who should be used more offensively, but are thin up front. Max Pacioretty is a 30-goal guy and has become a more well-rounded player, but he is not a game-breaker like Vladimir Tarasenko of the St. Louis Blues. They need a Jamie Benn, a Tyler Seguin, or even a Jonathan Drouin.
They need offense that they can count on every night to strike fear into opposing teams. They're not scoring and need production. There are a lot of guys up and down the lineup who aren't producing, and if you look at when they were winning, everybody was producing from Torrey Mitchell to Dale Weise to the entire group. Brian Boyle scored 15 goals for the Lightning last season, but they didn't have to depend on him for that many goals because he does so many things well. Montreal has become dependent on the goals from Weise and that to me is a reflection of the fact that they don't have the offensive punch as a group up front that they need.
Chicago Blackhawks
What else can you say about the Chicago Blackhawks? It starts with the ownership group; owner Rocky Wirtz is willing to give his team anything it needs to be successful. From there, it's the managerial team, starting with general manager Stan Bowman. Their ability to identify, develop and integrate players into their lineup, from the amateur level to the AHL has been a sight to see. The free agency pickups and the way they continue to rebuild and construct; you can't do that without amazing talent evaluators.
The 12-game winning streak, which ended Thursday with a 2-1 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning, is a franchise record and the Blackhawks are the class of the Western Conference right now.
Anaheim Ducks
An All-Star goalie in Frederik Andersen who was great until he got hurt. Two elite superstars in Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. A real nice blue line in terms of three guys who can make plays in Sami Vatanen, Hampus Lindholm and Cam Fowler, and yet the Ducks are still the League's lowest-scoring team. I don't understand how this is possible for this team with all that firepower. And Bruce Boudreau has always been an offensive coach.
At some point, they may have to part with Vatanen, Lindholm or Fowler. The Ducks are too good of a team to be mediocre. You don't go from being the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference last season to not being able to score. Rickard Rakell (10 goals) is their second-leading goal-scorer, and that tells you something about their offense right now.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Goaltender James Reimer has quietly had a good season for the Toronto Maple Leafs. His goals-against average (2.03) and save percentage .934) rank in the top five and he's done it without the greatest support cast around him, which has been even more impressive.
Another player who is taking his game to another level is center Carl Soderberg of the Colorado Avalanche. Colorado had high hopes for Soderberg after trading for his during the offseason, and if you look at it, a lot of the turnaround for them this season has been because of him. He and defenseman Tyson Barrie have been outstanding.
