It’s time.
All due respect to Barry Melrose, who has a point when he says calling Jonathan Drouin back up to the Tampa Bay Lightning is rewarding bad behaviour.
But this is not the time to teach an immature kid a life lesson. This is the time to win hockey games.
While no one on the Lightning’s current NHL roster can fill in for injured Steven Stamkos and his 36 goals and his 16 per cent shooting accuracy and his leadership or his nearly 20 minutes of nightly ice time, Drouin is the most dangerous unused offensive weapon in Tampa’s arsenal.
Take him off the shelf now, squeeze him into a couple of big-league games before the playoffs open next week, burn that entry-level-contract year, and begin the post-season with the most talented group of forwards you can dress.
Forget, for a few moments, a petulant personality and the business of hockey. Drouin’s stick is scorching.
The guy has goals in five straight games and nine goals in his last nine games, all in the AHL of course. This spurred general manager Steve Yzerman to consider bringing the prodigal son back to the bigs over the weekend.
“He’s played very well. You see the stat sheet, the goals,” Yzerman told reporters. “You love his attitude, his work ethic.”
A lower-body injury kept Drouin out of the Syracuse Crunch lineup Sunday, but the winger practised Tuesday and is expected to be good to go for Syracuse’s next game, Friday, versus Albany. Unless, of course, he’s in the Bolts’ lineup Thursday.
Tampa’s offence, so frightening last season, has sagged to 12th overall. Remove Stamkos from the picture for anywhere from one month to forever, and this should be a concern.
Worse is the Lightning’s 27th-ranked power play, which Yzerman wanted to boost at the trade deadline but didn’t.
Yes, Drouin’s defensive acumen is lacking, and we won’t blame coach John Cooper if he monitors Drouin’s minutes with a one-goal lead or keeps him stapled to the bench for defensive-zone draws.
But it’s difficult to imagine the power play improving in the absence of both Stamkos and Drouin. And adding a secondary scoring threat like the third-overall draft pick could complicate the game plan of an opposing coach who otherwise could zero in on the Triplets.
Push all the drama to the side and ask yourself this: Are the Lightning a more dangerous playoff team right now with or without Drouin in the lineup?
Yzerman has maintained throughout the Drouin saga — the sleep-in and no-show, the holdout, the trade demand, the suspension — that he will do what’s best for his team. Drouin’s Lightning teammates, by all accounts, would support his return.
There is a business upside here, too. Imagine Drouin does come up, plays hard and contributes on the score sheet. Such a performance could only increase his trade value, which wasn’t high enough for Yzerman’s liking on Feb. 29.
In case you need reminding, the Lightning’s window to win is nowish. Between the 2016 and 2017 off-seasons, Tampa will need to give raises to its No. 1 goalie, No. 1 defenceman and four best forwards. The band will be splitting up.
What’s best for the Lightning and their middle-of-the-pack offence is adding a creative, gifted scorer at the most critical time of year. A year when the playoff path through the Atlantic is arguably the easiest of the four divisions and Eastern Conference can be re-won.
It’s time.
