No potential trade carries more intrigue than that of disgruntled Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin.
Will he move or not before Monday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline?
It's a question even Tampa Bay general managerSteve Yzerman can't answer yet.
Speaking with Lightning beat reporters Erik Erlendsson and Joe Smith on Wednesday, Yzerman expressed that he'd rather get Drouin dealt before the deadline than wait until the offseason, if he had his druthers.
It wasn't meant to be headline-making material. It's just kind of the obvious conclusion, Yzerman told ESPN.com Thursday morning.
"We're close to the trade deadline, we're trying to make the playoffs, if I can trade him and put a player on my team and make us better, isn't that common sense?" Yzerman said over the phone.
Well, yeah.
"I'm not going to wait just to wait, but I'm not going to trade him just to trade him," Yzerman added. "If there's something in the next four to five days that helps us now, sure, that would be my preference."
But -- and there's always a but -- Yzerman will not settle just for the sake of settling. He maintains that he's only going to trade Drouin, 20, if the deal meets the standard Yzerman has set for trading Drouin.
"We're trying to give ourselves the best chance to make the playoffs, and if we do make the playoffs, give ourselves the best chance of being successful," said Yzerman. "If that means a deal involving Drouin, I'll do that. But it doesn't mean it's going to happen."
In my mind, the time is now for the long list of teams that have shown interest to play their best hand if they want Drouin before the deadline. Yzerman wasn't sure if the deadline would change those offers or not. That's hard to predict.
"I've been talking to teams for months, every team knows what I'm looking for, I know what they're willing to do," Yzerman said.
By now, nobody should question Yzerman's patience in the matter. Drouin's trade request went public Jan. 3, and while some people wondered if that might pressure the Tampa Bay GM into a quick trade, guess again.
"Stevie has handled this smartly," said one rival Eastern Conference GM.
Is Yzerman asking too much in return for Drouin? That's for the potential buyers to decide, but it's clear he believes Drouin will be a special player. He doesn't want to live to regret this trade.
Until Yzerman gets the deal he wants, I don't think any of us should question his willingness to be patient. Could Drouin be dealt before Monday's deadline? Definitely. That's Yzerman's preference, all things being equal.
But could it wait until the summer? Definitely, if the deals offered in the coming days don't meet the standard set.
Step up if you want him, boys.
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