Should The Oilers Pursue Jonathan Drouin?

On Sunday morning, Tampa Bay Lightning F Jonathan Drouin sent shock waves through the NHL when he went public with his trade request via his agent. The 3rd overall pick by the Bolts in 2013 really hasn’t established himself yet as an NHL’er and famously was a distraction during Tampa’s run to the finals last spring when he was frustrated with playing time.

Request and frustration aside, Drouin is an extremely talented player with a lot of potential. While it hasn’t shined in the NHL yet, it has shined in the QMJHL and briefly in the AHL. This is a player who, if he plays the way he can, can impact a game in a big way. Teams will be interested in him and Tampa Bay is likely to get a good return for the player.

Should the Edmonton Oilers be the team that pays the price?

Boxcars:

Drouin played in 70 NHL games one season ago, going 4-28-32 before going pointless in six playoff contests for the Bolts. This season, he’s played in 19 games and registered 2-6-8. 32 points is pretty good, but it’s somewhat concerning that this talented youngster only managed four goals all of last season, especially playing on a team as good as Tampa.

In two AHL games last year, Drouin had 1-2-3. He’s yet to play in the minor leagues this season, but he was assigned to Syracuse over the weekend and is expected to report there this week. His AHL portfolio is about to expand, possibly considerably.

What Does He Bring?:

High skill, plain and simple. Drouin is more of a playmaker and The Hockey News describes him as having, “outstanding vision, creativity and playmaking acumen.” His puck-skills are also mentioned in the scouting report, said to be off-the-charts.

So, we’re dealing with a talented offensive player here, someone who can dish the puck and create chances that lead to goals. We’re also talking about a pretty quick player too, and someone who can help out on the powerplay at the NHL level. That has value.

Is he ever going to be a 30 goal scorer? Possibly, but it isn’t his game, he’s more of the set-up man, the puck distributor. He’s a great playmaker on the wing, that’s the best way to describe him.

There are negatives, however. He’s a smaller player and does come with some injury concerns. Plus, we have to wonder why this player is asking out less than three years after being drafted so high by the organization. Are there problems with work ethic? I believe it was a culture shock that he showed up to Tampa and he wasn’t immediately given a big time role.

Where Would He Fit?:

This is the million dollar question, folks. Where does Edmonton put a 5’11” and 186 pound skill player in their lineup? They won’t move Jordan Eberle, he’s more established and quite frankly better at this stage, and they shouldn’t move Teddy Purcell from the top-six. Do you dump Nail Yakupov, and what about Zack Kassian, who will almost certainly be in the NHL soon?

If Drouin is going to work, he needs a top-six role, so that means it’s he and Eberle on the first two lines. Adding Drouin creates a logjam at the right wing position, one that can really only be solved via trade.

Also, think about this; Todd McLellan keeps saying he doesn’t want three scoring lines moving forward. If you aren’t going to have three scoring lines, then both Yakupov and Purcell become useless moving forward if Drouin is acquired.

Drouin is also more of the same. He’s not big, not tough to play against and doesn’t add any of the grit or sandpaper that Peter Chiarelli is no doubt looking for. Call it a stupid reason, I’m not saying I agree with it, but I think Drouin’s style will be a turnoff of sorts here.

If he’s acquired, I could see him on Edmonton’s second line, but it would take some moving around to work.

Final Thoughts:

If I were Peter Chiarelli, I would not pursue Jonathan Drouin. The asking price from the Lightning will be extremely high and this is a player that, quite frankly, Edmonton already has guys similar to. Adding a guy like Drouin won’t change the mix in Edmonton and it won’t plug the holes that are already here.

I’d rather the Oilers use their assets to acquire a power forward or a legit veteran defender that can make a difference on the blue-line. If you can’t acquire one of those pieces, you might as well hang on to your ammo and wait for something that helps to become available. I don’t think adding Drouin helps the Edmonton Oilers right now.