from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,

There will be all kinds of teams willing to take Drouin off Yzerman’s hands; fewer will part with established assets to make a deal happen. Drouin would surely appeal to the Colorado Avalanche, for example. There, he could be reunited with his Halifax Mooseheads junior linemate Nathan MacKinnon, who after an excellent first year and a so-so sophomore season appears to be back on track in his third.

MacKinnon’s pattern is common among young players, even the most precocious. Development is rarely a straight-up progression, but a series of ups and downs that occur until a player gradually settles into NHL life and the night-to-night consistency it demands.

But Colorado, where coach Patrick Roy likes a run-and-gun style, doesn’t have a lot of assets to offer Tampa – the Avalanche would not give up Gabriel Landeskog or Matt Duchene in that sort of a swap....

Yzerman’s hands are essentially tied – if Stamkos leaves, Tampa’s needs will be far different than if he stays. So until Yzerman knows for sure the outcome of that negotiation, Drouin will likely hover in limbo.

Yzerman essentially said as much when commenting on Drouin’s future, noting that his only interest is in doing what’s best for the organization – it’s difficult to imagine any circumstances in which he’s going to pushed into an ill-advised trade just to satisfy an unhappy player. So with the NHL trade market still in a deep freeze, it could be a while before Drouin gets his wish, even if his availability has stirred interest in front offices around the league.

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