Drouin-Sergachev trade from Tampa perspective: Tampa received Mikhail Sergachev, a top 10 pick in the 2016 draft and a player with a lot of desirable attributes. He's big, quite strong for his age, while having incredible mobility for such a big defenseman. You combine that with above-average skill and Sergachev can make unique plays off the rush. He also has a good shot and doesn't shy from being physical. That being said, he's not a perfect player and it's why I'm slightly lower on him than the industry. His reads aren't refined, and for a player with his tools he doesn't dominate as consistently as he should. Some scouts attribute a lull in his game this season to a visible emotional let down after being sent back from the NHL, but through the OHL season and World Juniors I saw a very good prospect and only flashes of a great one. Sergachev could potentially be in the NHL next season, although likely not as an impact guy, with a more realistic time frame for an impact being in 2018-19 and beyond. He saves Tampa significant cap space. While Tampa fans may be hoping for more, the log jam at forward in the NHL, along with good NHL prospects coming (Taylor Raddysh in particular as well as Anthony Cirelli and Mitchell Stephens) at forward and little at defense addressed an organizational need not to mention their troublesome cap situation. Tampa didn't get better today for next season, but given their roster situation, and the fact anyone could see their leverage slipping away in trade talks, Sergachev is a fair return even if not spectacular.
