Writer: Kevin Durso
Flyers ‘pushing hard’ for Jonathan Drouin
I have been writing for Sports Talk Philly since 2011. Currently editor and lead writer of Philadelphia Flyers coverage. Co-host of the YWT Podcast. I also am Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN-FM in South Jersey. I graduated from Cabrini University in 2014.
All posts by Kevin DursoPublished25 Feb 2016
It's trade deadline week around the NHL, with only four days before the deadline hits.
Ron Hextall has said the Flyers will not be buyers. That said, it hasn't stopped him from looking into potential deals to acquire talent.
According to David Strehle of The Fourth Period, the Flyers are "pushing hard" for Tampa Bay forward Jonathan Drouin.
Strehle adds that the Flyers are one of 12 teams in the mix and that the Flyers may not be willing to give what the Lightning are looking for in return.
Drouin has been quite a story this season for all the wrong reasons. A highly-coveted talent out of the Draft in 2013, Drouin was selected third overall by the Lightning. But in his brief NHL career, he has just six goals and 40 points in 89 games after putting up nearly two points per game in his three-year QMJHL career with the Halifax Mooseheads.
This season, Lightning GM Steve Yzerman sent Drouin to the AHL's Syracuse Crunch to get more ice time as he recovered from a nagging injury that limited him to 19 games with the Lightning. Drouin has supposedly privately submitted a trade request in November.
On Jan. 20, Drouin was suspended indefinitely without pay after failing to attend a game for the Crunch against the Toronto Marlies. Since then. Yzerman has been working to find the right deal for Drouin.
The Flyers meanwhile would likely have to part with top talent to get Drouin, which certainly goes against Hextall's plan of patience. That said, a prolific junior scorer like Drouin could just need the right fit, but in the Flyers case, it doesn't sound like something worth mortgaging the future.
Again, this just goes against Hextall's philosophy, which to this point, he has stood by unconditionally.
In the meantime, the Flyers could still be active at the deadline in other ways. They have players they could look to move such as Mark Streit, Radko Gudas and Ryan White.
The deadline is on Monday afternoon at 3 p.m.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
