As trade talks heat up around embittered Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin, TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that the St. Louis Blues are at the center of the discussion with Lightning GM Steve Yzerman. Lavoie also reported late Thursday that a trade could come within the next 24 hours.
Lavoie took to Twitter Friday morning to clarify that while a deal may happen in the next 24 hours, it’s not a certainty. He also reiterated that the Blues aren’t the only team sending offers, making it possible that things change quickly, because Yzerman simply won’t make a deal unless he’s getting what he wants. He is not required to trade Drouin.
Drouin has been a lightning rod for speculation since his agent Allan Walsh announced that Drouin has requested a trade the day after the Lightning assigned the number three overall pick in the 2013 draft to the AHL.
All reports about the Blues being at the center have come with caveats. They’re far from being the only team involved. ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun wrote this week that the Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators are also a serious part of trade discussions.
Previously, Montreal was said to be “aggressively pursuing” Drouin and other teams have been said to be involved, including the Nashville Predators and New York Rangers.
If it is the Blues, there is no word on what the offer would be, naturally, but there was speculation from Elliotte Friedman in Sportsnet’s Headlines segment over the weekend that Robby Fabbri could be in the mix.
. @renlavoietva reported that the Blues are at the "heart" of the speculation, but as we know, other teams are involved. (2/2)
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) January 15, 2016