I don't necessarily think it means Drouin is a bad egg, but having the player and agent pull this when things aren't going their way? Buyer beware.
That said, MSL played his whole career with a massive chip on his shoulder and stayed with one team for the majority of his career so a player with that mentality doesn't cause problems automatically.
I don't necessarily think it means Drouin is a bad egg, but having the player and agent pull this when things aren't going their way? Buyer beware.
That said, MSL played his whole career with a massive chip on his shoulder and stayed with one team for the majority of his career so a player with that mentality doesn't cause problems automatically.
You think this is a coaching problem?
I blame Glencross
St. Louis, then the will-he-or-won't-he sign with Stamkos, now Drouin. Something tells me these things have more to do with Jon Cooper and Steve Yzerman than the players. No doubt the players play a massive part, but one case is an anomaly. Two gets you thinking. Three paints a bad picture.
I don't think it means all that much. MacKinnon and Barrie don't have contracts yet either and nobody's panicking. Sitting and taking offers on Drouin is Yzerman's right as a GM, and can you blame Stamkos for thinking long and hard about his value as a free agent?
Stamkos is a special situation because he's made it well known that he wants to play centre, but last season and in the playoffs Cooper was using him as a winger. This season I believe he's using him as a centre, but will Stamkos look past that and wonder if Cooper is doing it now just to please him and then when he signs, go back to having him play wing?
Of course it's Yzerman's right to take calls on Drouin but I'm of the opinion that this situation could have been avoided entirely in the first place if not for Jon Cooper. Who is the last 3rd overall pick to be handled the way Drouin has been? Only forwards:
2012 Alex Galchenyuk
2011 Jonathan Huberdeau
2009 Matt Duchene
2007 Kyle Turris
2006 Jonathan Toews
That's the last decade of 3rd overall picks for forwards (didn't include 14 and 15 drafts since they're after Drouin and even then, 14 is seeing Draisaitl succeed during his 2nd season). The only player who seems comparable to Drouin's situation is Turris.
Duchene2MacKinnon said:He signed a contract to play with Tampa and not some team in the AHL.
So, why is it ok to do one thing to get your way but not another? The avs owned ROR's rights in NA and he went turned his back on the organization by signing with the Flames. He handcuffed the organization into getting what he wants, you think if ROR got sent down or played on the 4th line after signing a contract he wouldn't have asked for a trade and refused to play until he got what he wanted?
ROR was a FREE AGENT... FREE! He could have signed in Russia, like he did, or with any other NHL team, like he did... Again, FREE.
And after the Avs matched the offershet he was not sent to the AHL or played on the 4th line, but he was put on the 3rd line, and played mostly with guys like McLeod, Kobasew and Palushaj and still managed to out produce Stastny, without ever complaining.
Comparing ROR and Drouin is just... embarrassing.
ROR was a FREE AGENT... FREE! He could have signed in Russia, like he did, or with any other NHL team, like he did... Again, FREE.
And after the Avs matched the offershet he was not sent to the AHL or played on the 4th line, but he was put on the 3rd line, and played mostly with guys like McLeod, Kobasew and Palushaj and still managed to out produce Stastny, without ever complaining.
Comparing ROR and Drouin is just... embarrassing.
ROR was a Restricted Free Agent, which is a totally different situation than being a Free Agent. You don't get to choose the team you play for, the team has the final say. If you leave for Russia I'm pretty sure whatever team you were on has rights for you, and a bunch of things like that. So he wasn't exactly free
Gotta think there is a problem in Tampa... MSL, Stamkos still not signed, now Drouin... Seems odd to me.
Sekac for Garbutt... that is the shake up that Anaheim really needs.
Any restricted free agent is free to sign with any team he wants, the difference is that the team that holds the players right has the option to still keep the player by matching the offer.
Comparing ROR to Drouin, a guy that is refusing to play, is just absurd.