On Scouting Jonathan Drouin …
- Corey Pronman: Teams watching Drouin’s first game back last night include the Coyotes, Flyers, Wild, Senators and Maple Leafs.
- Corey Pronman: Two from the Coyotes were at the game at the game. Have been to a lot of games around here and never seen a Coyotes representative.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Drouin did the right thing in asking the Lightning if he could end his holdout and return to Syracuse. When asked if his trade request is still on the table.
“Right now I’m just going to play hockey for the Crunch,” Drouin responded in a phone interview with ESPN.com. “We’ll deal with that stuff this summer. So I can’t really tell you now. I’m just going to deal with that stuff when the summer comes around.”
LeBrun takes that as the trade request is still active. LeBrun wonders if the trade request in the players second season is a red flag for teams or if it’s a sign of courage.
“Yeah definitely, but maybe looking back in a couple of years, was it the right decision? I don’t know,” Drouin said. “Time will tell. Right now, it’s hard to say if I did the right thing or not. Right now, I was missing hockey, I want to play hockey, I want to get back to my routine and just playing the game. Definitely happy I’m back.”
Drouin could still be recalled by the Lightning this season.
On the Vancouver Canucks …
- Jason Brough: There is some speculation that Ronalds Kenins could be heading back to Switzerland.
- Aivis Kalnins: Kenins could return to Switzland if he can’t get a contract in North America.
On Marc Crawford …
- Kevin Paul Dupont: Crawford could be a strong candidate a Quebec City team.
On Auston Matthews …
- Ken Campbell: Have been told that Matthews can’t sign in the AHL either. The AHL has the same age requirements as the NHL. (Matthews’ season in Switzland is over)
- Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot: Coach Marc Crawford on TSN 1040 on Matthews. (Crawford was Matthews coach in Switzerland)
“Absolutely. He’s going to be an impact player right away… I don’t want to discount the fact that yeah, there’s going to be some strength adjustments and just the wonder and the aura that is the NHL that he’s going to have to deal with. But he’s going to have impact right away.
“He has a great shot. He’s got great moves… My assistant coach and I were talking the other day and I said to him, ‘He reminds me more of Joe Sakic now than anybody else.’ But he’s bigger. He’s got great creativity and a great shot. He spins and does things naturally himself that just keeps going.
“I don’t think there’s anything that he can’t do. He’s going to have to keep learning, but he is definitely going to be a No. 1 center that you can build a team around. He’s great offensively. He’s learning defensively.