NHL Trade: Lightning Trade Jonathan Drouin To The Montreal Canadiens

Tampa Bay Lightning trade Jonathan Drouin to the Montreal Canadiens

The Tampa Bay Lightning have traded restricted free agent winger Jonathan Drouin and a conditional 2018 6th round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and a conditional 2018 2nd round pick.

Pierre LeBrun: The Conditions are that if Sergachev plays 40 games for the Lightning next year, there are no draft picks exchanged.

The 22-year old Drouin was drafted 3rd overall in the 2013 draft by the Lightning.

The 18-year old Sergachev was drafted 9th overall in the 2016 draft by the Canadiens.

Thoughts from the media …

Ryan Kennedy: “In terms of readiness, Sergachev can be an NHLer for Tampa right away”

Jason Brough: “Trading Drouin allows Bolts to keep, say, Vladislav Namestnikov. They were gonna lose a good forward.”

Matt Larkin: “Still would’ve liked to see Tampa deal Johnson instead of Drouin, as Johnson + Brayden Point is redundant to me skillset-wise.”

Sean Shapiro: “Steve Yzerman is pretty good at this GM thing”

Joe Smith: “Needless to say, this would be a dream come true for Jonathan Drouin, playing for hometown”

James Mirtle: “Drouin had to be protected in expansion or lost. Sergachev does not. Lightning were facing losing a good player for nothing; now they don’t. This kind of dealing is what’s really going to hurt Vegas; teams are going to get assets for players while they can and leave VGK scraps. Every team I’ve talked to the last few weeks is working on some variation of: “How do we give Vegas almost nothing?” Tampa pulls that off.”

Jim Matheson: “Wow. Good deal for Habs but giving up Sergachev on a team with a very iffy back-end after Weber and Petry and old Markov…”

Brian Wilde: “An unbelievable trade for the Habs. Drouin essentially for Sergachev is a perfect trade. The Habs finally get Drouin who they love.”

David Pagnotta: “Getting Galchenyuk didn’t add up for Tampa, Montreal was finally willing to move Sergachev.”

Matt Larkin: “Don’t forget, Drouin was being groomed for a time to learn the center position in Halifax. Don’t rule out him converting to C with Habs.”

Matt Larkin: “To me the wild card in the Drouin deal is how he responds to the pressure of being a Francophone player in Montreal. Will be fascinating.”

AJ Haefele: “Marc Bergevin WOULD use his best trade piece to solve his center problem with a wing”

Joshua Kloke: “Drouin deal a great one for Habs. Drouin’s already great and could only get better. Sergachev’s ceiling as yet unproven.”

Ryan Wagman: “I like this deal from both sides. Habs get dynamic scorer. Bolts get both cap breathing room and more palatable expansion exposure options.”

David Staples: “Sergachev is such a fantastic prospect. Great trade by Tampa.

Jonathan Drouin

Mikhail Sergachev

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