The Tampa Bay Lightning players would welcome back forward Jonathan Drouin
The Tampa Bay Lightning have had a drama-filled season driven by two storylines. First, forward Steven Stamkos will be a free agent after this season and there were whispers that he could be traded. Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman removed that drama by stating that he would not be traded. The second one is a bit more complicated, though. Forward Jonathan Drouin is currently holding out at the advice of his agent after his agent demanded a trade from the Lightning back in November.
It has been a toxic situation to say the least. Despite all that has gone on, Lightning players would reportedly welcome Drouin back.
From TSN:
"One interesting note from hanging around Tampa Bay last week: players would welcome Jonathan Drouin back with open arms. That ship has sailed, with Drouin divorcing himself from the Lightning as he awaits a trade, but there aren’t any hard feelings lingering within that room. One player said he wished Tampa Bay had more time in Montreal last week (the Lightning were playing back-to-back games) so a group could sit down with Drouin to try and coax him into coming back."
A reunion between Drouin and the Lightning is quite unlikely because you can’t just go back from your agent saying that
you’ll never play for the Lightning again
to playing for the Lightning again. That would indescribably awkward. However, the door is open for Drouin to return to Tampa Bay. It might be only open about an inch, but it’s still open so a return isn’t completely out of the question.
Depending on what happens to Steven Stamkos, Drouin returning to Tampa Bay could benefit both parties.