Should The Anaheim Ducks Have Interest In Jonathan Drouin?

December 2, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Jonathan Drouin (27) moves the puck against Anaheim Ducks during the first period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A.Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

It was reported Sunday, January 3rd, that highly touted NHL prospect Jonathan Drouin has demanded a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning, after a recent demotion to the AHL. The former #3 overall pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Drouin has spent most of this season struggling to crack the lineup due to injury complications. Then, just yesterday news came down that Drouin would be sent to Syracuse, the Lightning’s AHL affiliate to rediscover his game.

The 20 year old Drouin has played just 89 games through the first two seasons of his NHL career, combining for 6 goals and 34 assists. Unfortunately for the Lightning, it seems that Drouin just isn’t happy with the way he’s been utilized, or in this sense, underutilized and it might be time for the two sides to separate. This is not to say that Drouin can’t be a phenomenal NHL talent, because he certainly has the ability, but it’s not every day you see a player of Drouin’s caliber on the trade market.

As we’ve discussed before, the Anaheim Ducks are desperate for help at forward, more specifically the wing. So, to answer the question as to whether the Ducks would be interested in Drouin is sort of like asking if a bear defecates in the woods. In fact, most every team in the NHL should generate some interest in Drouin, especially the teams that weren’t able to draft him in 2013. Anaheim had no chance to draft him in 2013 as they held the 23rd overall pick, which they used on defenseman Shea Theodore.

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The biggest roadblock for most teams, not just the Ducks, would be the price of a player like Drouin. It’s not like Drouin is going to be had for a sack of potatoes and with the Steven Stamkos situation still, somehow, murky in Tampa Bay, it’s a little unclear as to what the Lightning would ask for in return for Drouin. However, it has been widely reported throughout this season that team is interested in moving either Matt Carle or Braydon Coburn, if not both. If this is the case, it would likely mean that the Lightning don’t see either of these players in their long term plans, and therefore might be interested in a young defenseman.

Sep 22, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Jonathan Drouin (27) skates with the puck as Nashville Predators defenseman Seth Jones (3) defends during the second period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Thats interesting as we’ve discussed at length the depth at defense for the Ducks. In one of my more recent articles I proposed that the Ducks should consider acquiring James Van Riemsdyk. In that article I suggested moving a player like Sami Vatanen for JVR as both teams would benefit from such a deal. It would be easy, and lazy, to just recant and say the Ducks should trade Vatanen straight up for Drouin. The main reason being JVR is a much more proven NHL commodity where Drouin is still mostly potential.

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However, if the Lightning were willing to include a player like Coburn, then perhaps an interesting deal could be made. Anaheim has the cap space to eat Coburn’s 4.5 million dollar contract, and would be a reasonable replacement if the team were to move on from Vatanen. Now, Im not saying Coburn is even in Vatanen’s league, but Coburn does have Stanley Cup experience and wouldn’t be the worst option as a rental player. I doubt the Ducks would be willing to include a 1st round pick and Sami Vatanen in a deal where the return is still just pure potential but they may be willing to deal one of their two 3rd round picks while including a 2nd rounder in 2017. So the deal would look like this:

Anaheim Receives: Jonathan Drouin, Braydon Coburn

Tampa Bay Receives: Sami Vatanen, 2016 3rd Round Pick, 2017 2nd Round Pick

While it’s an interesting idea, I’m more inclined to believe that other teams could offer up a bigger package, many of which would probably include a 1st round pick. It’s also tough to gauge with the Stamkos cloud looming low over just about every decision that Tampa is going to make. It is a crazy thought that at the start of the 2016-2017 season, neither Stamkos or Drouin could be a part of this Tampa Bay team, as both were thought to be the backbone of hockey in Florida.

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